


The Darkest Flames

by Sokulski



Series: The Dragon Pistol Series [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2020-08-13 20:48:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20180494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokulski/pseuds/Sokulski
Summary: (Also Imported from Fanfiction)Tanis Muller's experience as an agent of MI6's Anti-Bioterrorism Division could never have prepared her for what would come from working for her new employer, Albert Wesker. The lines between trust and betrayal blurred with each secret she uncovered. Grizzly murders and vanishing leads all point to more than just the Umbrella Corporation. Prequel to The Dragon Pistol.





	1. Chapter 1

_"Be to her, Persephone,_

_All things I might not be;_

_Take her head upon your knee._

_She that was so proud and wild,_

_Flippant, arrogant and free,_

_She that had no need of me,_

_Is a little lonely child_

_Lost in Hell,—Persephone,_

_Take her head upon your knee;_

_Say to her, 'My dear, my dear,_

_It is not so dreadful here.'"_

_—Edna St. Vincent Millay, Collected Poems_

* * *

_March 18, 1992_

* * *

Jake Muller.

Tanis hated the name Jacob. Jake was better. It was too formal, too uniform, too _everything_ Oswell Spencer would have wanted for one of his _children_. The word was like a bad taste in her mouth. The saliva in her mouth was venomous acid that her breath ignited, melting away the layers of her tongue with every breath that passed her chapping lips. Labor had destroyed her legs; of this, she could not be more certain. The slightest twitch reminded her of the sprained hip an amateur gynecologist had failed to spare while she pushed the impish boy from between her legs. An early delivery seemingly resulted in the event of the labor doctor going missing this every evening.

"He will require breastfeeding, mum." The voice made her jerk, and the pain of her sprained hip was as merciless as the half-Scottish half-English man who held her infant in his arms. He loomed in the corner of her gaze like a specter, garbed in a dark and impeccably spotless suit. An uncharacteristic bolo tie hung around the collar of his shirt, fastened together by the Spencer family shield. His red hair was thinning, threatening age with patches of silver settling along with the roots of his scalp. She noted this as he leaned towards her, her squirming baby wailing pathetically in his arms. "He will starve, _Miss_."

"_Keep that away from me_." The venom burning her tongue had traveled to his nostrils as he stood upright and returned to the cradle, wordlessly lowering her squirming, bluish-skinned child into its soft interior with experienced grace.

"They say a child who is denied the tit of her mother is prone to madness," Patrick said, eyes fixed on the infant before him. "Perhaps that is why Master Spencer's children all invested in their individual passions as they did." Tanis' eyes never left those of Patrick's. There was a special flame in those steel, color-less eyes. The darkest flames burned hotter in those non-identically sized pupils that lazily observed the world around them with absent interest. He was the soulless lion tamer of a mad lion who had stolen cubs for a languid ideal. He turned to the shelf on the far wall, mutely lifting a bible from its surface and flipping through the pages.

"Don't you _fucking—_" She began to say.

"Psalms book one hundred and thirty-five, verse four," He began. "For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own possession."

"Not if it dies." Her throat was lined with the venom of her own words, and that of the existence of the child. Her eyes traveled all about the small delivery room as Patrick continued reading.

"Psalms one hundred and thirty-five. Verse five through seven. I know that the Lord is great," Patrick said as Tanis' gaze fell upon the tray of bloodied equipment used for her birthing. A chunk of her umbilical cord remained wedged between the blades of the scissors, dripping onto the already bloodied tray. Next to the scissors was the same syringe that had entered her womb before Jake entered the world. The crimson liquid from within the file now ran through her blood, through Jake's blood. Her bottom lip quivered at the thought of wishing death upon the child who had been tainted before his eyes could open. She wished death upon them both, but the horror was realized that death would come sooner for her. "That our Lord is greater than all gods. The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses."

"_Stop it._" Tanis hissed, tears washing from the corners of her eyes. "Let it die in peace!" Patrick watched her for a quiet moment before flipping the pages in his bible. Tanis wept.

"Psalms one hundred and thirty-eight, verse one through three. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the 'gods' I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me."

"_Kill it_!" Tanis cried. "_Kill us. Kill us both, please!_" Jake's cried equaled her own as the flipping of pages continued.

"Psalms one hundred and thirty-eight, verse eight," Patrick said over both their voices. "The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands."

"_Alright,_" Tanis breathed, her chest sinking. Patrick smiled a gentle smile, his eyes fully in flame. "Give," she paused, fingers trembling violently as she unbuttoned her gown. "Give him to me."

"Did you hear, little Jacob?" Patrick whispered tenderly as his polished hands lifted the wailing baby from the cradle. "You may be spared from madness, little Jacob. Your mother will _feed_." Tanis trembled as the impish infant was placed on her chest, his cries tore through her breast as she guided his little mouth to her nipple. "Gently now. Mother must teach little Jacob to feed." His teeth were quick, sharp, and destructive. She sucked in a breath as she jerked her head back, shutting her eyes to the imp that suckled her and the lion tamer who's arousal had peeked from the sight of his triumph.

A phone rang from somewhere outside the room and the lion tamer stood upright, releasing a steady breath.

"If you will excuse me, mum," Patrick said, retrieving a handkerchief from the inside of his blazer to dap the sweat on his brow. "Master Spencer will expect little Jacob to have been fed when he arrives." He sighed again and strolled to the door. "It is a ghastly business trusting the Master to the unworthy during his travels, but he insisted I be here to tend to little Jacob, his very first grandson."

"_GET OUT_!" She screamed, startling the child at her breast. Patrick loomed in the door, turning his head to gaze at her from over his shoulder. He smiled almost affectionately at her.

"Like my father before me, I gave the instruction to wean Spencer's children six months after each birthing." He shrugged a shoulder. "The mothers were not the original ones, but they were disposed of nonetheless." The door shut behind him with an inaudible click, and the ringing phone challenged Jake's wails.

"_Shh!_" She attempted to rock the tiny boy, to return his plump little wets lips to her nipple. He squirmed, red-faced and breathless. She rocked him again, her tears plopping onto his cheeks. She looked around again, eyes falling on the syringe on the bloodied tray. She stiffened her jaw and reached for one of the pillows that supported her back, shoving it against the railing of her bed. She trembled as she placed the breathless infant on the pillow, safe from tipping over the edge. With a pained grunt, she pulled herself towards the railing, weeping at the pain of twisting her sprained hip. The cheap plastic of the railing crushed the flesh between her breasts as she shot out her arm, fingers trembling for the empty syringe. Tears gushed down her face as the tips of her fingers dragged the syringe, and wheeled the tray closer to the bed. The filth on the tray soaked her fingers to the first of her knuckles as she laid back, the syringe now to her breast. She turned her head to the wailing babe and brought him to her breast, the syringe hung above his head. "_Shh_."

He was quiet now, little chest heaving as he watched with bright blue eyes as the syringe was positioned above his little heart.

"Phase two." She choked, watching Jake bring a fist to his mouth. The attention span of the infant reflected in his eyes as they looked about everywhere but the death looming over him. Tanis took in a slow breath, the venom she spewed on her baby's face suddenly vanishing when his eyes found hers. His little lips puckered and his fist clenched. "We're both." Tanis cleared her throat. "Phase two." Her eyes traveled to the syringe that had been injected into her womb, the glass file now empty of "Phase 2" of Project Wesker. Her fist trembled violently as she found her resolve.

"_Mmm_." Jake gurgled fist at his lips again.

"_Oh_!" Tanis breathed eyes on her son again. "_No, baby_. It'll be quick. First, you, then me. We'll be in Heaven _together_." Her tears blurred the image of her son. One more slow and steady breath passed her lips before she clenched a tighter fist. "No more Phase two."

The door opened and she jerked her arm high up into the air, ready for the plunge. The thought was lost to her as the intruder took a slow, calculative step inside. Tanis' eyes widened, the disbelief in her eyes had clearly gone noted by the tall, golden-haired Wesker child whose windows to the soul were hidden from her from behind his reflective sunglasses. Slowly again, with the same calculative patience, he lifted his pistol—a silencer was screwed into the barrel. The syringe in her fist began to slip from the sweat of her palm. The syringe shattered when it hit the floor. Tanis watched as Albert Wesker's weapon lowered and his brows lifted, becoming slightly more visible above the rim of his sunglasses. His gaze, Tanis knew, was on the wailing child she held in her arms.

"I'll die today." Her voice came raspy and exhausted, but it was enough to encourage him forward. Another step, and another, and then once more took place before the man once again came to a stop. She leaned her head back and tilted Jake towards his father. "He may too." Albert was silent, staring, considering, still. His gloved hand twitched slightly but remained at his side. Perhaps it had been one of the first times in his life that he had hesitated, but he had hesitated all the same. She watched, knowing the moment would be a phenomenon that only she would witness. With the pace of a patient mirage, he lifted his gloved hand to the squirming child, extending his index finger. Tanis watched as the tip of his gloved finger came in contact with the center of Jake's chubby little heal. Jake quieted against her breast. Then Albert's finger slid along his chubby leg, Jake's heal slipping into Albert's palm.

"Phase two," Tanis said, eyes traveling to Albert's face. "In him, and in me."


	2. Tanis

"The nooses should have never come down from their branches," Tanis repeated the phrase again and again in her head as she maneuvered the crowbar from its place between her thighs. The stench of low tide and raw shellfish penetrated her senses as she placed the balls of her bare feet against the lid of the crate. She shimmied back and forth, feeling hundreds of clamshells part beneath her until her torso was piled over and her legs were outstretched.

The crowbar clunked against the wooden boards above her head as she clumsily attempted to slip it through a tiny wedge that leaked light from beneath the crate's lid. She licked her lips once and let out a throaty groan as she shoved the bar through the hole and shimmied further into the clamshells until her head was completely under. She guided her right leg with a caress of her naked thigh against the cold, wet metal of the crowbar until the ball of her feet found the handle. Her other leg followed in the same fashion and as soon as both her feet were in position she pushed hard, jerking her entire body against the hundreds of clamshells around her. She listened to some crunch while others slid back and forth with each motion, repeating the same, tedious motion until she heard the creaking boards give. She rolled in her upside-down position until she found a side of the crate, shoved her skinny fingers through the thin cracks and jerked herself up towards the surface.

"The nooses should have never come down from their branches," followed by "157, 592: _desolate ship_." She pulled herself to the top of the crate, sitting naked upon the bed of clamshells scraping at scum and dried flakes of salt as she scanned the enormous yet dimly lit hull around her. Wordlessly she leaned her entire body forward, small, naked breasts dangling as her palms pressed firmly against the edge of the crate. In one slow cat-like motion she lifted her left leg to reach another edge of the crate, balancing on her left knee before lifting her right and maneuvering her entire body, not one more clamshell snapping beneath her weight. She had not been disturbed by the sound of a door opening as she lowered her right foot to touch down upon the wet, rusting floor and she had not been rushed when her hearing began to register a pair of footsteps heading towards her. A wall of crates, she suspected was filled to the brim with similar contents as the one she chose to stow away in, blocked her from the rest of the cargo hold.

Tanis sucked in a slow breath, reminding herself there would be no escape from the stench of shellfish and moved to the wall of crating that blocked her from sight.

"_Co to był za hałas_ (What was that noise)?" A male voice asked from beyond her shelter.

"_Brzmiało to jak coś złmał_ (It sounded like something broke)." Tanis' head lifted a little upon hearing the second voice and immediately turned her head towards the edge of the barrier, coming face to face with an old man. He looked back at her, silent as they stared at each other for a couple of seconds, his eyes drifting about her naked body.

"_Czy widzisz coś_ (Do you see anything)?" The old man's companion called from somewhere beyond. The old man tipped his tartan hat before glancing over his shoulder at his companion. "Jedna ze skrzyń skończyla napelniane I złamał od ciśnienia (One of the crates was overstuffed and broke from the pressure)," he replied. Tanis lowered her gaze to see a red duffle bag dangling from the man's right hand.

"_Cholera, po prostu zostawić go tam. Nie jesteśmy tymi, którzy maja do czyszczenia_ (God damn it, just leave it there. We're not the ones who have to clean)," the other man called back. "_Zostaw swoje rzeczy z powrotem tam. Nikt nie będzie go zabrać_ (Leave your stuff back there. No one will take it)." Tanis lifted her eyes from the bag as it dropped and glanced briefly at the old man's face as he pushed the bag towards her with the back of his heal.

"_Możemy jeść? Nienawidzę zapachu. Mozé wyjdziemy z jakiegoś Chińskiego jedzenia na prawej przystani_ (Can we eat? I hate the smell. Perhaps we can leave for some Chinese food on the starboard marina)," the old man asked. Tanis remained still, committing to memory the words "Chinese" and "starboard." Her target was on the starboard side of this ship, somewhere that overlooked the marina. As soon as she heard the sound of the door to the cargo room close she set into motion, snatching at the red duffle bag and yanking open the zipper. She snatched first a pair of black panties from within the contents, hastily slipping into them before yanking out a full-body wetsuit. As soon as she had managed to pull herself into the garment she aggressively jerked up the zipper, stuffing her small breasts into the suit before tightly sealing herself in.

Tanis again dropped down onto her knees, groping the contents of the duffle bag and lifting a black leather holster containing a Bodeo Model 1889 revolver. She examined the weapon intently, popping open the cylinder and counting that all six rounds were in place before sealing it once more and strapping the weapon to her upper thigh. A pair of black gloves were retrieved next from the contents of the bag and mutedly she slipped one on each hand. The final item within the duffle bag was a silver-colored two-way radio. She immediately jerked the antenna and pressed herself further against the crates behind her and punched at the buttons with her thumb.

"Into the wind the nooses do dance with glee and secrecy, five-six-one, one-zero-eight," a male voice spoke from the radio a moment after her thumb had stilled on the "7" key. Translation: the locations of your targets are still unknown, their arrogance opens an opportunity, 561 and 108: _Request_ _circumstance_.

"The nooses should have never come down from their branches, one-five-seven, five-nine-two," she replied in a low, steady voice. Translation: My targets underestimated my methods, 157 and 592: _desolate ship_. It was all the information she would need to supply as only five tankers could berth outside the Parque das Nacoes marina.

"The fallen nooses are tethered and taught, spare the swelling neck, one-six-six, one-eight-three," the male voice responded. Translation: Your targets are doomed, spare the one that choked intel, 166 and 183: _engage and evacuate_. Without another word, Tanis slipped the antenna back into the device before removing the batteries and returning the now powerless radio back into the bag. The batteries were tossed into the now open crate of clamshells and Tanis bounded into action. Exiting the cargo room was when it began: the increase of her pulse, the trickle of lubrication that a quickening heartbeat encouraged from between her legs. The familiar sensation was her staple precursor to the inevitable state of emotional dysregulation.

She was silent as she navigated the thin passageway that existed beyond the door. The passage was still and empty, a sign that her targets remained confident in their safety During her patient steps towards the passage's branching into three different directions, she caressed the handle of her Bodeo revolver with her gloved thumb. The habit helped her think, helped her maintain her emotional state. The wetness in the back of her knees became apparent as she came to the three branching passages, turning right and following the vague instructions she had been given. Venturing through the door looming at the end of the passageway would be where she would begin the first phase.

Tanis had a very particular method in the way she worked. Stealth was her method of intruding upon her targets' sanctuary, followed by inciting panic within said targets with sounds that suggested life-threatening danger. Panic distracted and overwhelmed, it provided disorganization where there was order. Panic provided opportunities where there were none. All that would be left was to find a few nooses to cut.

Placing her hand on the thick knob of the door, Tanis became still, listening intently to what she had heard during her approach.

"_Życzę goówniarzu by pospieszyć się z materialami wybuchowymi. Palmir na nękajace mnie do ich rozmieszczenia_ (I wish the little shit would hurry up with the bombs. Palmir's harassing me for their deployment)."

"_Ja już zamknęli go w pokoju. Jeśli nie dziala to go zmotywuje_ (I already locked him in the room. If he's not working we'll motivate him)."

"_Powiedz mu, że ma pięć godzin_ (Tell him that he has five hours)."

"_Dlaczego muszę _(Why do I have to)?"

"_Ponieważ dupek Muszę zadzwonić Palmiro, po prostu powiedz chińskiej _(Because asshole I have to call Palmiro, just tell the Chinese)." Tanis immediately backed from the door as the knob turned. A second later out stepped a tall, gruff man who stood twice her size and up went her revolver. His light brown eyes immediately widened three sizes as he jerked back away from her; flopping to the ground a moment after Tanis pulled the trigger. The sound of her revolver popped throughout the passage but Tanis swallowed in response to the ringing in her ears as she lunged into the next room, finding the dead man's companion making a break for a door on the opposite side.

"_Pomoc_ (help)!" He yelled before a bullet found the small of his shoulders. Without a moment's hesitation, Tanis slammed the door behind her, locking it and moved to her second victim. She groped at his pockets, at the inside of his shirt, until she fished a ring of keys from his front left pocket. A quick glance at clean counters around her indicated she no longer needed to remain in the room so she shoved the keys down the high neck of her wet suit and moved through the next door. Once the door was shut behind her, Tanis broke into a sprint for the end of the only direction the next passageway provided. The sound of her shot would encourage the crew to beeline to investigate. One dead body would be enough to indicate an intruder, while two dead bodies would provide a necessary amount of uncertainty towards the nature of the threat.

Tanis reached the next door, letting herself in and locking it behind her. As always, she took full advantage of the precious moments when the crew would be scattered between finding the intruder and scrambling for weapons to defend themselves.

The next corridor had opened to a dead end and a staircase. Again she locked the door behind her before encircling her hands about her revolver. She lifted her head at the sound of footsteps pounding at the ceiling above her, an indication that soon she would have to face a pursuit.

"_Wystrzał pochodziła z mesy_ (The gunshot came from the mess hall)!" Tanis' head immediately jerked to the staircase in front of her. She counted three sets of running feet heading her way. She sucked in a quick breath, unlocked the door behind her and shot around the back of the opening, dropping to her knees with her revolver aimed. One head popped up, a running body manifesting with the speed of their uphill sprint before they tossed the door open and charged through, pistol in hand. Another ran forward, flanking the first with a pistol of their very own, and finally a third man emerged with a Furrer M25 dangling across his back. He faltered in the doorway and began to turn his head back over his shoulder when brain matter splattered his shirt. His body _thunked_ forward on the ground and Tanis sprang for the corpse.

"_Kobieta_ (A woman)!" The second of the trio called as Tanis removed the safety of the Furrer. The first of the trio lifted his gun but Tanis fired a round first, forming a small railroad across the second man's chest and plummeting whatever bullets remained into the first man's arm. He roared in pain and Tanis slapped her hands onto the corpse's shoulders, jerking herself forward to shut the door. She flinched when she heard bullets assault the opposite side of the door and lunged for the lock as soon as she heard the empty click of the man's gun. Unsteady breaths forced their way in and out of her throat as she shoved her revolver back into its holster and immediately worked to free the Furrer M25 from the corpse's body.

"_Hej! Tutaj! Intruz jest tutaj_ (Hey! Here! The intruder is here)!" She heard the wounded man on the other side of the door yell as she flopped the neck spewing body over. She reminded herself, as she unclipped the strap and slipped the weapon from beneath the dead weight, that locking the doors had bought her time. The crew no doubt would know their ship better than her, but the time it would take to reroute had granted her the seconds it took to take this weapon.

As soon as her hands hugged the polished wood of the Furrer, Tanis charged down the staircase and into the lower deck. The bombs would be filled to the brim with Saxitoxin from the shellfish, but the best way to infect Lisboa's water with the neurotoxin was to contaminate the water directly. The laboratory, Tanis reasoned as she sprinted across catwalks that overlooked dozens of racks of torpedoes. She slowed to a brief stop, examining each metal shell closely. Their symbol, a white eagle with a golden flag in one talon and a sword in the other was stamped on each shell as well as the words "_Za wolność Nasz I Wasza_ (For our freedom and yours)."

She had found the bombs; the oversized torpedoes that could not possibly have been carried far. Tanis snatched at the keys that bulged from beneath the collar of her wetsuit and dropped on her knees in front of the door. Five attempts later the lock clicked and Tanis pushed her way through.

The passage beyond the door was wider than the catwalk behind her, making Tanis' earlier claustrophobia apparent. What waited for her at the end of the passage gave her pause, encouraging her to take the time to give into her habit of locking the door behind her. An enormous circular door, Tanis assumed to be made of titanium, waited at the end of an expansive corridor. She frowned at the door, examining a square-shaped hole next to a keypad and looked down at the key ring still dangling from her fingers. A sigh flared through her nostrils as she dropped the Furrer on the floor and began to compare each key to the hole in the door. She had had surprise encounters before with intricate doors appearing where they did not belong, but there was nothing she despised more than having to double back and search again. She had three shots left in her Bodeo and she did not have the time to asses what was left in the Furrer.

As she continued to flip through the keys Tanis squirmed a little, feeling the dampness that had settled between her legs. This was the part where she began to sober from her emotional state. Apprehension quickened her efforts and she came to the end of the loop, finding a skinny key with a square-shaped tip. Tanis irritably shoved the key in the hole and turned it. A loud click sounded and the door opened, spraying air from beneath its rim. Tanis stepped back lifting the Furrer as she regarded the door. An air pressure door, she had already reached the laboratory. She entered with an occurrence to be hesitant, although she knew better. It was her distaste for her accomplishments occurring too easily that made her uncomfortable.

The laboratory beyond the door was an expansive world of blaring white countertops, walls and floors. Tanis regarded the various glass beakers, the popping reds and blues of the raw innards of clams as she entered. This was where the Saxitoxin was being made. She walked between rows of counters littered with supplies and dirtied glassware, stopping when she came to a whiteboard infested with red marks. Beneath the board, on a simple sheet of paper were a stack of papers infested with an assembly of hexagonal shapes drawn across the board and the various appearances of letters, "H2N," "O," "HN," it was the chemical formula for the toxin. As soon as the realization had settled Tanis marched up to the board and lifted the eraser, wiping away the contents before dropping the eraser and reaching for the formula.

"_Zostaw go tam _(Leave it there)," A voice snapped from behind her. Tanis allowed her hand to hover above the formula as she slowly turned her head over her shoulder to see whom she had encountered. Her eyes widened a little when she saw a Chinese man standing before her, dressed in a lab coat and armed with a self-defense pistol.

"_Nín de b__ō__làn fēicháng h__ă__o_(Your Polish is very good)," Tanis told him, watching his eyes widen at her fluent Chinese.

"_Shuí tā mā de shì nĭ ma_ (Who the fuck are you)?" He demanded. Tanis glanced at the barrel of his weapon, his single-shot pistol that encouraged Tanis to debate whether her reflexes were better than his aim.

"You're Hideki Tachibana-Tora," Tanis said, electing to switch to English. Hideki glared at her, glancing at her hand.

"Get away from the formula," He responded in the same language. Tanis turned to face him completely, dropping her free hand. She flexed the hand that still held the Furrer a little. Dropping the gun would alert him that she was going to act, but whether he would back away or open fire was what mattered more. She needed more information before she could decide what she would do next.

"I don't believe in misunderstandings," Tanis said, slowly leaning over to tilt the Furrer against countertop next to her. Hideki did not fire and Tanis was left to wonder. "I don't believe in second chances either."

"I am _no one's_ prisoner," He spat, taking a step forward, "Malcolm's deal is _shit_."

"Die to these terrorists or come with _me_, you will receive no sympathy here," Tanis evenly replied. Hideki scoffed and held tighter to his gun.

"I didn't _want_ this," he barked, "Its what I had to do to survive-"

"Three people have died on your behalf, its no longer survival if it costs other people's lives."

"What do you know?" Hideki snapped, "How could you _possibly_ understand?" Tanis let out a patient breath and lifted the Furrer from the ground as soon as she assessed that the man would not shoot. She snatched the formula from the table and hung the Furrer by its strap on her shoulder.

"Because I killed them coming for you," she said, heading for a door on the opposite side of the room, "Die quickly, you won't help them invade Gdynia."

"Wait," Hideki called after her. Tanis ignored him and folded the formula, slipping the wad of papers into the neck of her wetsuit. She snatched at the doorknob and froze when it did not budge. She hung her head back in irritation and tossed a glare at Hideki. He smirked back at her triumphantly, slipping his weapon into the pocket of his coat. "I want to renegotiate our deal."

"No," Tanis said, turning to face him again, "open the door."

"Then renegotiate the deal with me," he said, stepping towards her.

"I don't negotiate, I execute," she said, debating whether or not to use her Bodeo to open the door. Hideki pursed his lips and frowned as he reached into his other pocket. Tanis watched him for a moment before glancing towards the circular door she came through. With or without her target, she needed to leave. By now the crew would be resolving to lock down the laboratory.

"Fine," Hideki said, lifting a key from his pocket, "I renegotiate _there_."

"You're asking someone who is incapable of guaranteeing anything," Tanis said, stepping back when Hideki moved to unlock the door.

"They sent you to get me, they obviously trust you," Hideki said, shoving the door open. Tanis glanced at the passageway beyond the doorway that led to a single ladder. One level separated them from the bottom of the hull. Tanis adjusted the Furrer in her arms and stepped forward.

"With execution, not politics or negotiation," she promptly replied, glancing up at the ceiling.

"How are we escaping?" Hideki asked as soon as Tanis placed her hand on one of the ladder's rungs.

"I have a way, but you need to be able to swim," Without another word Tanis slipped the Furrer across her back and began to climb down.

"I'm not an expert at swimming," she heard Hideki call to her as she stepped down into the lower deck. The ceiling was much lower here but Tanis knew they were standing below the torpedo stockpile she had seen earlier. She walked further into the deck, placing a hand on the railing in front of her and looking down into the pool before her. The stillness of the water and the dim light in the corridor revealed a crack in the enormous pool. When she lifted her head, Tanis spotted a long recess in the ceiling that matched the length of the pool. That had been the plan then, open the panels of the ceiling and floor of this deck and dump the bombs directly into the channel. "I don't think I can swim under the ship," Hideki said impatiently.

"Open the hull," Tanis said to him. Hideki shook his head, his expression was exasperated.

"I'm bad at swimming," he barked.

"Then let me out and die here," Tanis said, looking about the deck for any form of the control panel.

"Bitch," she heard Hideki mumble as he stepped around her towards the starboard wall. He pulled one of three levers and the water in the pool churned. "I'll only open one-" Hideki immediately cut off and cocked his head higher; listening to the same gunfire Tanis could hear. His eyes widened and Tanis glanced at her wrist, remembering then she had not been wearing a watch.

"What time is it?" Tanis asked.

"What are they shooting at?" Hideki asked. Tanis glanced up at the ceiling before looking back at Hideki and shrugging her shoulder.

"The military was deployed about three hours after I boarded this ship," Tanis replied, "I'm sure there's no doubt that they have boarded and begun to fire on them." Hideki looked away from her, seemingly shocked by the news. Tanis licked her lips again as she wondered if she should have said more. She counted to seven in the silence of their listening to the gunfire occurring somewhere above their heads before she turned on her heels and began to walk the length of the pool, spotting a ladder on the far end.

"The water will be cold," she called back to him, "you don't have time to think about anything else."


	3. Albert

Albert could have sworn for a moment that his senses had mistaken the wine that had passed between his lips for sulfuric acid. It was in large part due to the amount of pretension he detected in the room. Being among his employer's inner circle and watching their theatric attempts at civility always left a rancid taste in his mouth. He took another sip, catching a glimpse of Ozwel Spencer's abrasive butler's cold grey stare. He let out an impatient breath and in one swift movement, the little man had crossed the room filled with black-clad attendants armed with a wine bottle.

"Is the vintage not to your liking, Master Wesker," Patrick inquired, not bothering to ask before refilling his glass. Albert did not spare him a glance as he watched a line form across the parlor, all leading to offer Spencer their condolences and further pollute the air with more pretense. 

"It must be the grief," Albert said wryly as Patrick stepped back.

"Yes, a true tragedy for the Ashford family," Patrick agreed with a nod, "I can only imagine the grief young Master Alfred must feel, losing both the late Alexander and his twin sister in such a short amount of time." Albert's eyes traveled to the young boy standing in the corner, flipping through the funeral program with a bored expression on his face.

"I suppose it would seem that way," Albert said, regretting a third attempt at the acid tasting wine he still held.

"Perhaps a brandy for the young master," Patrick said, their eyes meeting again, "A funeral is enough excuse for a grieving man who has lost boyhood." Albert wrinkled his nose at the comment but Patrick moved on before he could say anything further. Then again, maintaining Patrick's company would have left him more irritated than he had felt in that moment.

"A true loss for Umbrella's sake I'd say," he heard Spencer say, the most transparent smile forming on his face, "Truly, Marcus. To think Alexander would expire _before_ you." He watched the assembly of black-suited gatherers laugh, none enjoying the humor more so than the youngest standing at Doctor Marcus's side; William Birkin.

"What are the odds," William sighed, holding out his glass for Patrick to refill, "a disappointment of course, gentlemen. I will miss my rival, although it has left me wanting. I suppose I shall have to settle for Albert for competition." Chuckles rung out around the glass-eyed man and Albert refrained from rolling his eyes. His fellow employee was making an absolute fool of himself, so obviously reveling in the death of an inconsequential prodigy. The behavior had not gone unnoticed by those who occupied the parlor, but Albert knew most of the faces that floated about the room with imitations of grieving frowns and disappointed shakes more carefully indulged in the same triumph.

"There will be no working with him after this," Albert said, relinquishing his motivation towards further draining the concoction. The men gathered around Spencer and laughed with transparent merriment while William sneered.

"I believe the expression is 'living,'" William told him as he patiently strolled over to the group.

"I have only Spencer to thank that our apartments at Arklay are as far apart as they are," Albert could allocate humor as effortlessly as he could deconstruct the formulaic properties of a viral infection. The group roared with laughter at his comment, advocating his well-versed practice in rehearsed humor.

"Perhaps _I_ am the one who should be dreading work," William slurred. Albert diverted himself from the urge to set his jaw in irritation and glanced about the room.

"I trust the following days will be difficult for us all," Spencer said from where he sat at ease in his wheelchair, "but on we must march. Umbrella prevails on the sacrifices we, its blood and breath, make every day."

"Too true, old friend," Doctor Marcus said, raising his glass. Albert glanced at Spencer, the decaying old man who sat almost pinched in his wheelchair. It was unnerving at the time to see his employer, his teacher, seemingly reaching the end of his days. A moment later Spencer lifted his glass in a frail, bony hand and toasted. The denizens of the parlor all did the same, silence blanketing the room almost like a chill breeze. Albert mutedly waved off Patrick's attempts to hand him his glass and looked back in Alfred's direction, watching the boy thumb through a bookcase with a bored expression on his face.

"To Umbrella's future," Spencer called. Albert looked away from the boy and repeated the same words that were spoken throughout the room.

"To Umbrella's future."

"Tell me, Marcus," Spencer began again, placing his empty wine glass on the table next to his wheelchair, "how goes your progress? Albert and William have been making wonderful progress on their end."

"I would expect nothing more from my students," Marcus chided, "Progress is going wonderfully, though I would love an audience with you boys. I would love to see what you have been up to."

"Well we would love the same," William said with an all too false eagerness. Albert looked at his drunken colleague, dreading the tantrum that would occur the next morning when William would sober and remember the idiotic promises he made tonight. Making a scene would only provoke a more unbearable evening so Albert simply backed from the group and crossed the parlor.

"Where are you going, Albert?" William called to him. Albert paused, slipping a hand into the pocket of his blazer and looked back over his shoulder at a teetering William.

"A bit of fresh air," he said simply before completely crossing the parlor and exiting to the balcony. These social gatherings were trying enough to the point that Albert felt himself squirm. Perhaps it was the ever-watchful eyes of, well, everyone who was _ever_ in attendance. Or perhaps it was the irritation of gatherings constantly having to take place in the mansion above _his facility_.

The crisp September air sobered Albert from a lightness he had not been previously aware of and he blinked back a glazing in his eyes as he let the door _thunk_ behind him. There were other guests smoking and chatting about the wide expanse of the western balcony, in addition to the irritating squeak of the door that connected the balcony to the foyer made Albert second guess his decision to escape the pretenses of Umbrella's elite. The two-level balcony was infested with more funeral attendants, some armed with cocktails and others filing in a line towards a bar that had been set up against the railing. He nodded at a few greetings as he walked along to the balcony in search of the most secluded area of the balcony.

"I must applaud _Monsieur_ Trevor," he heard someone say from the group gathered along the back wall, "this mansion is elaborate, the balcony is _charmant _(charming). It is _une hone_ (a shame), I would have employed the _artiste _to design my home." The group roared with laughter as Albert descended the staircase, glancing at the woman who had been speaking before settling for the corner furthest from the group. The woman's voice dripped with the thickest French accent Albert had ever heard. It made him wonder how large the guest list to this funeral had actually been.

"A little desolate though don't you think, Madame Leclaire," another member of the group asked, "A woman such as yourself couldn't possibly stand the thought of being so alone."

"Typical men," the French woman sighed, encouraging more laughter from the group, "I enjoy my _indépendance, _and the solitude that liberates me from the constant clinging of a man who wants attention." Further laughter issued but Albert heard one of the group members stomping away. Albert slipped a hand into the pocked of his blazer and leaned on the balcony, clearing his throat. The one good that came from the conversation was that it had reminded him one of the "achievements" in his basement had not been fed for weeks. William could do it, he did not feel like feeding Lisa tomorrow, or ever. For a moment he thought of the ugly, skulking girl they'd left chained in the basement. Why William bothered giving the thing toys and entertained it with theatrics he would never know.

"And what are Umbrella's finest doing gathered out here," Albert heard another voice ask.

"Ah," the French woman gasped with delight, "_Bonjour _Alexandrine, _quel plaisir de vous revoir_ (what a pleasure to see you again)!"

"_Je l'ai vu ce que vous avez fait pour pauvre Monsieur Clemens_ (I saw what you did to poor Mister Clemens)," the voice replied.

"_Je n'ai pas de temps pour les hommes de porcs _(I have no time for pig men)," the French woman mutter back quickly before addressing the group, "You're in the presence of one of Umbrella's most respected gentlemen." Albert turned his head a little at the comment and glanced about the backs that were turned to him. The brunette French woman stood in his view woman she was introducing.

"An honor Miss Alexandrine," the man to the left of the French woman greeted cheerfully.

"All Arklay employees I take it," the voice Albert could only presume belonged to Alexandrine asked.

"Chicago recently," someone from the group replied, "Arklay now."

"Congratulations gentlemen, you've won the gamble of coming into the employment of Umbrella's greatest research facility." The group thanked her, too closely in unison for Albert's taste as he turned his head away from the group. Past the pretentious compliment of his workplace, he had lost complete interest. "A true tragedy today, Alexia Ashford was a brilliant mind."

"_Tragédie pure_ (Pure tragedy)," he heard the French woman say.

"_Ne pas disparaître après la partie, j'ai une expédition, je voudrais discuter avec vous _(Don't disappear after the party, I have a shipment I would like to discuss with you)," Alexandrine's voice immediately said after.

"_Bien sûr_ (Of course)," the French woman said.

"Gentlemen enjoy your evening, I'm expected by the 'higher ranks'," Albert turned his head again as the group bid the woman named Alexandrine goodbye, mildly curious. His gaze immediately caught the sight of a mirage in white who ballooned across the balcony and towards the bar that remained against the railing. The bartender greeted the woman in a short, ruffled white dress with a seductive smile, and her fox-like face pinched into a look of almost triumph. A white silk flower was pinned to the fountain of gold waves that spilled onto her right shoulder and pearls glinted from the lobes of her ears as she ordered her drink. Albert had not remembered what the improperly garbed guest had said, but two drinks were produced moments after her blood-red lips closed. Darkly painted fingernails glinted in the dark as she wrapped her hands around both glasses.

She turned in a swift moment, the fountain of white silks dangling from her waist rippled as she turned towards him. He lifted his gaze from the sizable breasts the high-neck of her dress failed to conceal and met her thin, pale blue eyes. Her lips pinched into another foxy smile as soon as she knew he had his attention and she stretched out her arm, offering him a glass.

"You must need a drink," she said to him, Albert mutedly accepted the glass, eyes never leaving hers, "I've always found escaping goes well with a drink." Escaping?

"Indeed," he asked, "I find them more useful when one plans to stay rather than escape." Her dark lips pinched into an approving smile and she tapped the rim of her glass with the top of her painted nail.

"I can fathom only two reasons that would compel someone to lurk in a dark corner at a party," she said before lifting her glass to her dark lips and taking a patient drink. Albert's eyes lowered to the contracting muscles of her throat as she swallowed. He counted two gulps before he decided he had become impatient, though it had not gone unnoticed that this woman had taken control of the conversation in a few short words.

"Which are," he asked, watching her thin brown brows pinch up briefly. He ignored that she referred to the occasion as a "party" and not a funeral. It was refreshing to encounter possibly the only person here who would cast away the sickening pretenses that had infested his evening. She pressed her lips together as she lowered her drink and looked back at him with a tilt of her head.

"Either said lurking person is escaping something unbearable, or they're waiting for something far more exciting to happen." She waited patiently for his response, ever watchful as she lifted her drink to her lips again. Albert watched her, flexing his hand around the rim of his drink.

"Did you come over here because you couldn't make up your mind or because you have and want to gloat about it," Albert asked, finally deciding to sip at the drink she had handed. The sharp taste of cheap brandy sliced down the lining of his throat but he did not let himself flinch. The same pinched smile remained on her face but instead of saying more she held out a hand to him. He lowered his drink and took it, offering a casual shake.

"Albert Wesker—" "Alexandrine—" Albert immediately stopped talking as soon as he realized they had spoken at the same time. Her gaze sank into a solid stare and for a moment Albert assumed she had taken the mistake in slight. As soon as the thought crossed his mind however, she smiled again.

"Alexandrine Spencer," she said, holding his hand for a moment longer before letting go, "call me Alex." It was Albert's turn to stare.

"Spencer," he echoed. Alex took another patient sip from her drink and placed her free hand on her hip.

"Its the curse of being the only daughter of a man who wanted sons, she gets introduced only when she attends," she said, placing her drink on the railing next to her.

"A true shame," Albert said, deciding to drain the rest of his drink.

"Have the hornets stung each other yet," she asked as he placed his empty glass next to hers. It took him a moment to realize she was talking about, apparently, her father and the others gathered in the parlor.

"No more than the expected stinging and incoherent buzzing," Albert said, glancing back at the group and the French woman still chatting with their drinks in hand, "It seems I did escape at the right time." A small chime of a laugh escaped her lips and she stepped away from the balcony, the clicking of her heels on the balcony dragged Albert from his attempts to remain disinterested.

"I'm expected back at the hornet's nest, perhaps it will be easier on a girl if she had an escort," she said, hand on her hip as she leaned towards him a little. It was not a request and Albert did not think twice about offering his arm and crossing the balcony with Alex Spencer in tow.

***DF***

The parlor was a world clouded by a dreamlike curtain of cigar smoke. Albert breathed in the discomforting fumes of artificial grief and mute triumph as the mirage in white guided him through the room, golden head turning back and forth to return greetings.

"Really, Alexandrine," he heard Spencer chide from his place at the fireplace, "just look at how you're dressed." Alexandrine's swift march came to a stop and her arm slipped from his. His gaze found Spencer's and he noted the old man's eyes widened a little. Perhaps being joined at the arm of his employer's secreted daughter would inspire a fair amount of shock.

"It's a tribute to Alexia, father," she called back at him, Albert caught William smiling at her with admiration from where he remained at Marcus' side, "Alexia always dressed like a doll," She motioned to her dress but a doll had been the last thing Albert had thought of when he first saw her.

"And what am I to think of your floundering with one of my best employees," Spencer asked, looking back at Alex. She placed a hand on her hip and lifted her free hand to play with a strand of her golden hair.

"I've met your request," she replied, causing Albert to quirk a brow, "you said I should pose, for your painting to commemorate Umbrella. Who better to pose with your loving daughter than your very best?" A tight smile curved on Spencer's wrinkled lips as she stepped back and looped her arm around his. She looked up at him and smiled with triumph. In that moment Albert looked back at her, realizing he was dealing with a woman who was used to getting her way. "I would consider this payment for the drink?"

"A splendid idea," Spencer said, an almost enamored smile forming on his withered face.

"And the envy in the room was felt by every man except one," William called. Laughter erupted into the room but Alex leaned towards him, a smirk now forming on her face.

"I'd love a better chance to get to know you, _Wesker_," she said practically purring his name. The air of mischief and intrigue that radiated from this woman almost won out his battle to force back a smirk, almost. He leaned towards her a little as well, taking advantage of the precious moments that lasted during the die down of the laughter.

"Yes, I think this would do quite well."


	4. Malcolm

There were secrets to be told in the way people moved their hands. It was a principle Malcolm lived by, one that had long since developed a compulsive habit. It had never been the squirming that held his gaze or the nervous eye contact people generally made when they sat across a table from him. It was their hands, their sweating, clenching and unclenching hands. Every twitch, every jerk of the thumb or tap of the index finger that communicated possibilities. This occurrence would be no different, Malcolm had assumed, leaning back in his seat as he watched the clenching hands of the younger man in front of him contract with anxiety.

"I only know what they told me," Hideki claimed. Malcolm knew better in the needless gesture of the Asian boy pushing his index, ring and middle fingers against his thumb to pop the joint. It had been a need for release, the stress of a liar. This boy was a terrible liar.

"I was brought your original formula," Malcolm said, moving his gaze to meet Hideki's. He counted a single second before the man looked away from him, "The Saxitoxin was to be deployed in non-lethal dosages. Elderly and young children would have been killed by this contamination, but not the general population." Hideki stared at the table and said nothing. Malcolm looked at Hideki's hands again, at his still fingers. Perplexing. "Perhaps colonization of Lisbon," Malcolm said, "then an invasion of the rest of Portugal?"

"They just told me to make the virus," Hideki said, staring down at the table in front of him. Malcolm let a sigh flare through his nostrils before folding his hands on the table in front of him. Whenever he did this he always had to glance at the lack of an index finger on his left hand, one he had lost to poor judgment and an attempt to disarm the wielder of a knife. The stub of a finger hugged his other index finger, stuck in a permanent point towards the ceiling.

"To _make_ the virus," Malcolm repeated, counting the number of slits that had long since formed callouses on Hideki's knuckles, "I had no idea I was in the presence of God." A confused look crossed Hideki's face and Malcolm patiently stared back at him.

"_Engineer_ the virus," Hideki grumbled a moment later. Malcolm frowned at him, contemplating whether or not he should make a show of throwing the chair he sat on across the room. Would that frighten the man? Would a less animated show of force be preferable?

"I almost want to believe you're being honest," Malcolm said to him, "there's something charming about the exotic foreigner with the dimwitted vocabulary."

"_Qù tā mā de zìjǐ_ (Go fuck yourself)," Hideki grumbled back. Malcolm dismissed the incoherent statement as an insult and unfolded his hands, leaning back in his seat again.

"'For our freedom and yours,' that was your little group's motto, yes," Malcolm asked, waiting for Hideki to reply. He counted to forty-nine in his head before Hideki answered.

"I think so," and then fell quiet again.

"Their ability to recruit is uncanny, and the reports I have received inform me that at least one of your people have managed to escape," Malcolm paused, waiting to speak again until he saw Hideki squirm, "you consented to trading information for relocation. You will tell me where the stray has gone and you will do this _now_." Hideki started at the table and Malcolm allowed his seat to scrape underneath him as he stepped away from the table.

"Truly that is a shame," Malcolm told him before standing and marching towards the door of the interrogation room. He listened to the ear-splitting buzz of the lock on the door releasing before pushing himself through, seeing Tanis standing on the opposite side of the two-way mirror with her arms hugging a blue leather binder to her breast. Malcolm shut the door behind him, hearing the lock engage again while Tanis stared through the mirror.

"Why are you still here," Malcolm asked. Tanis did not look at him, she never often did meet his eyes unless she absolutely had to. An aspect of her character he never blamed her for.

"I'm escorting him to his destination," she said, thumb stroking at the corner of the binder. Malcolm blinked at her, this was news or would have been.

"You'll have to terminate the relocation," Malcolm said, stepping over to her, "he's already violated our terms." He grabbed at the folder in her arms but Tanis did not let go. He waited, staring at her lowered eyes.

"He's been sitting in that room for fifteen minutes," she said quietly, "you didn't try." He was quiet for a moment before he eased the folder from her arms with one hand and cupped her right breast with the other. Tanis did not lift her head. He leaned towards her, craning his head for a better look at her face. It had never been in Tanis' nature to flinch, and she had not now. It was the aspect of her character that Malcolm admired most. He glanced over her titian colored hair at the door behind her. No one would see them in here, not as long as the door to the connected interrogation rooms was closed.

"You didn't rendezvous with me before you departed for Lisbon," Malcolm said in a low voice. He jumped a little when her small hand pushed him back, his hand falling from her breast. She cleared her throat and took the binder from his free hand.

"Because I was submitting my resignation," she said as she hugged the binder to her chest again, shielding her breast from him. Malcolm sucked his bottom lip into the inside of his mouth as he spared a moment to stare at the back of the leather binder, mulling over his dislike for the necessary but synthetic imitation that existed beneath the flesh of Tanis' left breast. "I'm leaving."

"And how did you come to this decision exactly," he asked, leaning towards her a little. Her body automatically clenched around the binder in her arms, as if it were some kind of barrier. He had always found the reaction adorable, she seemingly shrank into the size of a pretty doll. It had always been part of the reason why he liked reminding Tanis and reminding himself, their difference in size.

"I'm bored of bioterrorism," she said, thumbing at the corner of the binder again. Malcolm smiled a little, letting his forehead fall on the top of her head. He could never handle the look of timidness she conveyed at times like this. "It's dull."

"Have I made things too dull for you, lass," he asked. He swallowed as soon as he had asked the question, finding his throat had dried. Tanis backed, her reaction gave him pause but as soon as he looked for her face Tanis was halfway towards the door.

"Everything's just so dull," she said before unlocking the door behind him. Malcolm's fist clenched as she entered and shut the door behind him.

"I have your documentation," Tanis's voice echoed from the interrogation room. Malcolm continued to flex and unfelt his fist as he stared through the glass. He watched as Tanis pulled up the empty seat to the table and immediately set to work emptying the contents of the binder. Malcolm tilted his head a little and imagined taking Tanis into his lap. "You've been granted asylum in the United States," Tanis said, hanging Hideki a packet of papers and a pen, "You'll be going to Raccoon City. The population consists of over one hundred thousand people, you'll be invisible."

"Why the United States," Hideki asked. Tanis glanced at him before passing him a passport and several other documents.

"You're face was caught on a broadcast in Lisbon," Tanis replied, "You're passport and social security card. You'll need them as soon as the flight lands." Malcolm folded his arms across his chest as he watched Hideki flip open his passport and wrinkle his nose.

"I'd prefer to use my name," Hideki said. Tanis frowned at him and shook her head.

"You can't use your name," Tanis said, "besides, 'Tachibana-Tora' isn't a real name."

"Neither is 'Tanis'," Hideki said, closing the passport and sliding it back towards her, "You're like me, we're not real," Malcolm's eyes darted back to Tanis' face, seeing her large auburn eyes staring back at the man in front of her.

That quizzical look on her face sent Malcolm's bottom lip back into the inside of his mouth for a brief moment. His mind went to a particularly cold day in Edonia, hours after the assassination of its prime minister. He had spent navigating between a snowstorm and streets infested with rebellion. He had wandered with a smoking pistol in his coat pocket for several miles before he had found himself halfway between a nunnery and a pleasure house. On the steps of a long since boarded-up cathedral sat a girl with a head of titian-fire. She sat with her little arms wrapped around her legs, dressed in an ugly dress two sizes too small for her body. He remembered having glanced from the nunnery where a line of nuns exited with young children, to the pleasure house where escorts the girl's age invited men inside and wondering which she had belonged to. Upon closer inspection, he had found the evidence of the girl's lack of panties and inner thighs stained from menstruation indicated that she belonged to the latter. He had made a point to move on but her dirty face and large doll-sized eyes paralyzed him.

Malcolm had asked her in his clumsy Belarusian what her name had been. She had simply answered one word: "_Adzin_" which meant, "alone." Malcolm had not bothered to rephrase his question, he had simply extended his hand and in the spirit of silence, the girl stood on wobbly feet and took it. That very night he had snuck the girl through a side door of his hotel, fed her, clothed her and after she had scrubbed the filth from her little body, fucked her. One week later she had revealed to him that she had been fourteen. He had been twenty-three.

When they had returned to Glasgow her education had begun shortly before he brought her to MI6. He had introduced her as his daughter by day, for the sake of approval. The nights, however, had been theirs.

Malcolm's attention jerked to Tanis rapping her little fist on the window and he unlocked the door. She entered, binder resuming its place over her chest and Hideki following mutely behind her. It had occurred to Malcolm at that moment as he watched the back of Tanis' head, that he had never once kissed her mouth.

"I won't have time to submit the report," Tanis said to him as Hideki gave him a wary glance. Tanis stepped aside so Hideki would exit, and once he did she turned towards him but stared at the binder in her arms, "I'll leave this for you."

Malcolm stepped forward to accept the binder as soon as Tanis held it out to him but paused as soon as he saw her think better about the gesture and immediately marched forward to drop it on the table next to him. He glanced at the binder and then looked back to Tanis, watching her tug at a titian curl that dangled by her ear.

"Should you require help of any kind, please remember you can always return to me," the words tumbled from Malcolm's lips but managing to get them out before she reached the doorway had been a triumph. Tanis paused in the doorway, head turned back towards him a little before she nodded silently and exited.

In the seconds it took for the door to click shut behind her, Malcolm recalled the terrible sensation that came from morphine withdrawal. Overexposure to morphine following a bullet wound he received in Yemen had resulted in a terrible sensation of falling, feverish convulsing, and an undeniable apprehension to possess something. The very same sensation in his brain ended as soon as the click of the shutting door chimed as if all along that little noise had been the trigger to a savage form of hypnosis.


	5. Nonsense

_Headquarters is located in the underground laboratory of the abandoned Umbrella Research Facility. All on sight activity is by appointment only. Meetings will only occur in the abandoned Umbrella Research Facility at any time requested by The White Knight. Please consult your complimentary calendar provided by day in an email titled, 'This Week's Story.'_

Albert reached for the headset of the dial phone on the coffee table between them and replaced it on the hook. He could listen to the rest of this another time. His concern for how much Tanis had uncovered through her recordings of William proved too distracting. His eyes roamed from the phone and over to the thick black tape recorder that sat by its side.

Tanis looked back at him, pen hovering over a pad of paper and a puzzled expression decorated her oval face.

A mere glance at her notes made him spot the capital "G" she had written in the center of her page. He already anticipated her question of why he cut her scribing short. The inevitable question lessened his concern for having to tackle the more pressing one Tanis would ask on what "G" stood for. He didn't know William's research by name. He knew William had moved on from the Tyrant Virus to more sophisticated research. Research Albert could admit exceeded his own abilities. He supposed he had Tanis to thank for providing him the codename at the very least, but still. Blast William for letting himself get recorded.

"Is this all you have?"

A puzzled look spread across Tanis' face as she clicked her pen. She bit a little at her bottom lip as she considered. Before she spoke, her eyes moved from the phone to the tape recorder. She dropped the pad of paper on the shined surface between them a second later.

"My dealer doesn't provide military-grade bugs. It's the battery life we have to work with."

A small blessing since this meant that Tanis did not have better equipment to work with.

Albert sat up a little on the edge of the black leather sofa, his mind sorting through everything he'd heard. There was still more to dissect between his problems, but at least he'd brought them down to two. This little group that called themselves, "Aprico," and Tanis having bugged William. The latter mattered less now since the bug was dead but still.

"Indeed," he said, "We must consider if this does connect to Aprico in any way. I'm also curious if the reporter is aware of William's recordings."

Albert stared at Tanis. Bludgeoning the reporter's contact for a phone line was a sign of carelessness Albert hadn't suspected from Tanis. The fact made Albert wonder what Tanis bargained for the initial meeting. Albert chose to test whether William's recordings had been the payment.

Tanis remained steady as she placed the pen on the coffee table between them.

"No of course not." She leaned back in her seat and dropped her bandaged hands in her lap. "But he'll wonder why his informant isn't going to be reaching out to him any time soon."

Tanis winced, making Albert's eyes immediately dart to her hands. She had made the mistake of trying to weave her fingers.

"His informant's a liaison, as I understand it, but the 'White Knight' is the one who schedules their meetings."

Frederic Downing, she meant, according to the phone line they had heard. For the time being, there didn't seem to be any misdirection in this exchange of information between them. Still, Albert didn't put it past Tanis to still be withholding something from him. Gleaning that from her would be his task, one he wouldn't accomplish from a single conversation. So be it.

"And this is all the intel you obtained?" He offered, electing to play the new game.

"The phone line we're currently combing through was in return for my not snapping his ankle."

Albert forced back the smirk that threatened at the corners of his mouth in response to the image in his head. As soon as he pushed the image from his mind, a troubling thought came to him. "Where is this informant now?"

Tanis tilted her head at him and shrugged a shoulder. "Left him moaning in an alleyway."

Albert made no effort to stop the downturn of his mouth. His annoyance had to have been clear on his face because he noted Tanis squaring herself. "You left him out in the field with no means to track him?"

Tanis' smirk infuriated him. Her standing a moment later and producing a thick plastic card from the rear pocket of denim jeans defused his mounting anger. She walked over and held out a driver's license for his take from her lacerated hands.

Albert hesitated a moment, distracted by the state of her hands. He thought of Alexandrine's spotless, manicured nails that always looked like she'd painted them with blood. Or Ada Wong's slender fingers with unbelievably polished, colorless fingernails that reflected the fluorescent lights above their heads. Many of the lacerations in Tanis' hands were beneath layers of her skin. Her cuticles were rough, and her nails clipped back short and scuffed with scratches. Which was strange to him? That Tanis sported non-feminine aspects of her character? Or that he was comparing the state of her hands to Lisa's in the back of his mind?

"No one said that. I figured this could be something you would do for me. I'm sure a concerned word from you of all people would motivate RPD to look into him." Tanis walked the length of the parlor to reach the white marble fireplace at the end of the room.

Albert scrutinized the license before he looked after Tanis. Tanis knelt and grabbed a log from the iron carrier. He barely noticed the flame had died down the whole time he'd been going over everything Tanis procured. She balanced herself on one foot as she ran the toe of her boot along the back of her lower leg. Albert couldn't help the roaming thought of how odd he found feminine gestures when it came to Tanis. Clearly, she was a different breed of woman when it came to the display he'd grown accustomed to. He thought of Alexandrine and the jewels she wore around her bony neck. Or of Ada with the stench of perfume she contaminated the air around herself with.

The thick knitted, midnight blue sweater Tanis wore did little to hide the slender shape of her frame. Her ankle-high brown leather boots were scuffed with use and lacked a high-heel. Her titian curls that were usually bound back from her face spilled over her shoulders in interesting tendrils that curled beneath the curves of her shoulders. Her hair was the most immaculate aspect of her appearance. It occurred to Albert he'd never seen evidence of Tanis making use of cosmetics. As far as physique went, Tanis was slender. Still, her athletic build set her apart from the petite and curvaceous build that was uniform in Umbrella's ranks.

"That can be arranged."

"Do you mind if I refocus our attention on the phone line? They provided us a meeting location," Tanis asked as she continued to stoke the fire.

"Yes," Albert nodded, "that seems like a possibility."

Tanis replaced the fire poker and looked down at her bandaged hands again as she turned to rejoin him. "It'd be worth it to canvas the abandoned training facility. We can narrow down where they may be meeting and bug the areas."

Albert didn't comment on his observation of Tanis' body language. Her aversion to making eye contact was particularly interesting for it being so out of character for her.

Tanis frowned thoughtfully as she folded her arms across her chest. "That'll be an expensive trip to my dealer, but worth it."

Albert proceeded with care. He would need to be convincing when it came to selling the idea he knew little about the location. He'd lived within its walls for years. "Your logic is sound but there is still a risk to this."

Tanis tilted her head at him but said nothing. Her lower lip curled from her biting the corner of her mouth.

Albert wondered if Tanis kept herself from saying something. "It'd be best if we went in, did what you had to and got out as quickly as possible." Albert could admit his relief that came with chaperoning her through the facility. He blinked when Tanis smiled down at him. A single dimple formed on the left side of her mouth.

"Really, Albert, I'm a professional." There was a mischievous sparkle in her coffee-colored eyes that proved disarmingly infectious.

"Your track record is not spotless," he pointed out. He draped in arm on the armrest of the leather sofa and leaned back, inviting her challenge. "A little green pen comes to mind. Not to mention that bloodied informant. He may be intimidated now, but he could be a difficulty down the road."

Tanis hung her head, her smirk spread a little. Her curls brushed at her high cheekbones and bounced away as soon as she met his eyes again.

"By planting that bug, you came to the discovery that William may need to be monitored after all." Tanis brushed the lock of hair from her eye. "So, you're welcome."

Albert's own smirk shrank a fraction, but he didn't miss a beat. "I welcome your welcome."

Albert earned a chuckle and an eye roll from Tanis, the sound echoed in his brain as he allowed reality to set in again. His eyes fell on the documents that lay splayed out across the coffee table, and the relocated dial phone. This whole mess didn't only require him to focus on maintaining Tanis' cooperation, but also watching out for William. Whether this came from his own foolishness or not, he had yet to determine.

"Don't let it go to your head, dear heart, but I will concede the point to you." He said, folding his leg so ankle rested on his knee.

"Such a gentleman," Tanis unfolded her arms, "so where is this facility?"

"The facility is located in the Arklay woods, just outside of the city." Better not to mention right away that the laboratories were only a few miles from the mansion. In fact, access to the laboratories would be through the main entrance. Not that he would allow Tanis anywhere near the lower ground in the first place.

"So, let's head there today," she shrugged her shoulders as she stepped back to lean against the wall behind her. Her titian hair glowed against the faded blue Victorian wallpaper print behind her.

Albert cocked his head at her and raised a brow at her. "Just. Go? Why now if we don't have the listening bugs? Or do we?"

Tanis tilted her head. "'Listening bugs,'" she echoed, "Well, of course, we don't have the 'listening bugs.' We have to canvas the building so I can know how much equipment we're going to need."

Albert narrowed his eyes a little at her. "Yes, well…a though. Instead of going, I could use my own resources to instead obtain the bugs, and then we can go. I'd rather get my exercise in a gym, not hiking through woodland trails."

It was Tanis' turn to cock her head a little and her eyes drifted as if she were trying to envision his statement.

Albert frowned at the face she made but it vanished as soon as their eyes met.

"Within reason," she offered, "I really don't suggest risking your superiors noticing your borrowing equipment without a good enough excuse. Besides, your expenses should cover everything I'll need to procure."

Thinking of his spymaster, Sergei Vladimir, left a sour taste in Albert's mouth. The pompous bootlicker was so far up Spencer's ass he couldn't see the light of day. Not that Sergei saw much all the way out in Volgograd, anyway. At the end of the day, He oversaw too many operatives to worry about him being loose with some equipment. Albert didn't want to bother sparing a thought on Sergei, though. His focus was better spent on developing working interaction with Tanis. Finally, he was beginning to establish a comprehensive dialogue that made them functional. They would need to be better than functional, however.

"That should not pose a difficulty. My…superior is a busy man," he said, "I can fill your acquisition order." Albert thought he imagined Tanis narrowing her eyes. All evidence of the expression vanished with a slight raise of her brows.

"Ok," she conceded, "Am I going to need my gun?"

Albert maintained his grin in response to another of her infectious smirks but inwardly, he hoped not.

*DF*

Albert had been true to his word regarding his reservations for hiking. He struggled against the hammering in his chest to keep his breaths even. In the corner of his eye, he saw Tanis yawn in her hand. Athletic build indeed.

Deep-set tree roots had long since burst cracks into the paved road that led to the bridge of the Umbrella Executive Training Center. Driving the car up the ruined driveway would have been preferable, but Tanis had insisted approaching on foot. On the off chance they were to walk in on Aprico meeting, she preferred not to give them a warning with a set of headlights. Somehow, that line of thinking possessed Albert to allow himself to go along with the idea.

"No lights," Tanis said as soon as she reached the top of the hill. "I guess that's a good…sign."

Albert noticed the moment she fell quiet and watched the slow turn of her head as he came to stand next to her. Albert assumed what had captured Tanis' attention before he had a clear view of the long-abandoned building.

The Executive Training Center loomed beyond a chasm of two cliff faces that stood parallel to one another. A single stone bridge connected the paved road to a circular driveway on the opposite side of the gorge.

The Executive Training Center was a three-story building crowned with tall cross-hipped roofs. The night was bright with starlight, but the dark stone walls made the building look like a shadow.

"Yes, but it does nothing for another obstacle. We may have to search the entire facility. Given its size that may prove…troublesome." Albert watched as Tanis produced a flashlight from the black leather backpack.

Tanis looked at him and bit at her lower lip. She looked back across at the building again. She began to tap her thumb against the unlit flashlight before she spoke.

"The phone line stated that they met in the 'underground' Umbrella Research Facility. That means we'll be focusing on whatever is beneath the Training Center."

"I heard rumors about this facility's basement levels." Albert knew feigning ignorance would be useless here. His new rule of half-truths didn't violate by mentioning rumors from other Umbrella employees. Albert had overheard in William's company. It entertained him and William to no end to hear gossip from ignorant staff members about events they orchestrated.

Memories percolated in the back of Albert's mind as his gaze roamed across the windows of the training center. He could recall the hours he and William spent in each one obsessing over their latest bout of rivalry the staff reveled in more than they did. Albert glanced at Tanis as she fiddled with a black plastic flashlight in her gloved hands.

As much as Albert hated to admit it, he was somewhat unnerved returning here with Tanis. She was much closer to his past than he wanted her to be. "This is an older facility, too. There may be structural damage, and I am not keen on spending too long in there and being buried alive."

Albert couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth and added, "I'd tire of the company too soon."

Tanis still didn't look up from the flashlight in her hands. Albert watched her lips spread into a playful smirk, nonetheless.

Tanis clicked on the flashlight and took a step back. "In and out," she agreed as she resumed walking up the long driveway. "So did the underground facilities have anything to do with the training center shutting down?"

"As I said, rumors floated around for some time about this place." Albert assumed Tanis was fact-checking his claim. He also assumed she was trying to determine whether or not he had been involved. "A former executive of the company, Doctor Marcus ran this place. He was brilliant but paranoid. As the story goes, he became mentally unstable. So sick in fact that the only cure was a lead aspirin and a .45-millimeter straight to the head."

Tanis made a face and looked back at him as they neared the bridge at the edge of the chasm. "Did you know him?"

Albert looked off into the distance before Tanis could finish speaking. The image of Marcus' horrified face staring back up at him as blood haloed his head came to the front of his mind. "At the start of my career in Umbrella, he was a mentor to William and myself."

When Tanis remained quiet, he looked over and saw her staring ahead. "My condolences." She shook her head more at herself. "I shouldn't have asked."

Albert's reminiscing ended with the same conclusion he'd drawn the day he put several bullets in Marcus' chest. Marcus had proven foolish and died for it. Even so, he could admit it was odd to reminisce about the pawn he and William discarded. "Your condolences are not needed. It was long ago…I rarely give it any thought."

Tanis looked back at him, there was a look in her eye Albert couldn't quite read. "But you work for Umbrella's security now. How does someone go from being an aspiring virologist to company security?"

Albert couldn't help cocking his head at the question. The switch didn't seem unusual to him. What was so strange about it? He was smart. Spencer and Marcus had both praised him as such. He knew it, but streaking his ego was undoubtedly appreciated. It was almost a feather in his cap that Tanis seemed impressed. He had never been one to pass up an opportunity to boast, at least to the right people.

"You asses your strengths set your goals and follow them," Albert said, "I wanted to be a researcher in my younger days. Once I felt the goal had run its course, I set a new goal and followed that path. That, and I don't ask a bunch of silly questions."

Tanis looked back at him at the same time he did, and she grinned back at him. "So silly that you answered every single one of them."

"Hmm," Wesker grunted, keeping his grin from spreading further. His grin melted as soon as his eyes fell upon the entrance to the training center. The building's nostalgic entranceway at the end of the path. A covered archway stood on the raised platform before a pair of large wooden doors.

Tanis raised her flashlight a little as she approached the entranceway. The faded yellow circle of her light roamed the walls and slid across the filthy windowpanes on either side of the higher platform that led to the large wooden doors.

Albert allowed Tanis to gain a pace ahead of him. He listened to the sound of dead leaves crushing between Tanis' boot and solid concrete. She marched up to the large wooden double doors and grabbed at one of the brass knobs.

To Albert's surprise, the right door opened before it clanked against something metallic. The confusion was evident on Tanis' face. Albert sobered from the similar sensation as soon as he remembered the suits of armor positioned on the other side. This meant their swords remained crossed on the other side.

Tanis stepped back and frowned at the doors. For a moment, she stood there thinking. Albert counted to five in his head before the inevitable impulse to have her way took over. Tanis put down her flashlight before she took hold of the same knob tested her ability to force it open. Rattling the door twice more had been enough for Tanis to rationalize that she wouldn't be forcing her way in.

"Ok…that's a first," she sighed stepping back to retrieve her flashlight. "The door's been barred from the inside."

It took a moment for Albert to realize the statement was actually a question. One look at Tanis' quirked brow confirmed it.

"It's not an abandoned shack, after all. Why would the door be left open?" To be honest, the locked door he'd expected, though the thought troubled him. The doors were still barricaded by the sword mechanism. The fact that Aprico managed to find another way inside suggested their members had prior knowledge of the center. If that were so, then wouldn't Albert recognize any of them?

Tanis frowned at his response and looked at the doors again. "That isn't a pair of boards holding the door. I guess we're going to have to find another way."

"You're supposed to be a spy, aren't you?" Albert snickered at his own teasing, especially following the face Tanis made at him. He looked to the thoroughly rusted fences on either side of the edges of the building, blocking their access to simply rounding the building from either end. "There's nothing much else to consider other than these fences."

As soon as the suggestion passed his lips, Albert wanted to kick himself.

Tanis' mouth tugged to the left as she chewed at the corner of her lip. She nodded and looked over her shoulder towards the rusted gate looming at the other end of the platform.

Tanis tilted her head at the rusted grate to the right of the building again. Her flashlight roamed along its height in a lazy, zig-zag trail.

Considering Tanis' silence, Albert assumed she had concluded that climbing was impossible. The back of her head as she looked to the two adjoining spiked fences. Her lack of commentary encouraged Albert to assume, she was debating climbing them. Tanis' returning to the front doors must have meant she'd decided against it.

As Tanis stepped up to the grate for a fruitless examination, Albert scanned her from head to toe. He smirked again. "If you managed to hide a grappling hook or blowtorch somewhere…in there I'll be quite impressed. If not, I don' think we're getting through there."

At first, Tanis didn't respond as she knelt a little and slipped her gloved fingers through the grate. The gate echoed as she gave it shake. "You've been here before, should we bother with a back door?"

Albert considered the question as he turned his eyes to the training center again. Was there a back door to enter? Memory told him, no, but he began to pull further into his recollection of the place. He thought of the hallways he navigated between lectures and the rooms he visited, unable to recall.

"It's difficult to say. Perhaps if we…" A part of Albert's brain alerted him that Tanis vanished from his peripheral vision. He quirked a brow at her sudden absence. Albert dismissed any semblance of concern for her merely standing outside of his field of view. He wasted no time in stepping up to the center of the platform and froze when a large chunk of stone suddenly hurled through the air. A split second later, it smashed its way through the window next to the pillar left of the entrance door.

The filthy glass shattered, and the echo traveled. Somehow the sound of Tanis clapping the dust from her gloves drowned out the racket.

"There we go," she sighed, "now we have a way in."

"Yes…" Albert said, dumbfounded. He tried hard to not let it show on his face but couldn't help the twitch in the corner of his mouth. "I know it. You know it. Any bears in a mile radius know it. That rabbit over there knows it. And yes, of course, Aprico must know too."

Tanis tilted her head at him, at the mention of the rabbit that wasn't there, and pointed a gloved finger at the building. "Shadow of that pillar plus these tall trees keep it shadowed in the night, and presumably during the day, too." Tanis shrugged a shoulder. "Besides, this isn't their point of entry. Not unless they've found a way to remotely block the doors from the outside."

"Hmph." Rather than try to argue the point, Albert shook his head and walked over to their new…entry point. He shook his head and approached Tanis. "For the record, I meant it. Every. Single. Bear."

Tanis chuckled as she stood on the balls of her feet and shined her light in the room and tilted her head. "Looks like it's a storage room." Tanis looked at him as she stepped back from the window. "Give me a boost and I can pull you up."

Albert raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. He wasn't confident he needed to vocalize what his face already had.

Tanis grinned in response to his doubtful expression. "I'm stronger than I look."

"You already were not looking like a specimen of strength." Albert let his eyes roam over Tanis' figure to get his point across. "The wounded hands don't bolster that impression…"

Tanis' grin shrank a fraction and she looked down at her gloved hands, flexing them a little. Tanis shrugged her shoulders a split second later. "It'll be fine."

"Very well," Albert cocked his head to the side, as he added in a mutter, "Don't let failure hit you in the rear too profoundly…"

Tanis didn't say anything as she walked to the window. She shattered, glancing about the ground as she did. Whatever she'd been looking for, she didn't find and instead dropped her flashlight to shed her dark blue bomber's jacket.

Albert watched as she encased one of her arms in the jacket and brushed at the windowsill. The glass clinked as she cleared the loose glass from the sill.

"There," Tanis breathed. Satisfied, she stepped back again and shook out her coat several times.

Albert heard the occasional clink of glass flying from her jacket as she shook it out.

"Ok, ready when you are," Tanis said as soon as she pulled her jacket back on and retrieved her light.

"Quite. I'm ready to land once you drop me." Albert stepped up to the window and leaned so his left shoulder was against the wall beneath the sill. He folded his gloved hands for Tanis to step in.

Without a moment's hesitation, Tanis placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped into his hands. She stepped up and snatched the edge of the sill with her other hand, hauling herself up with minimal help.

Albert could admit his surprise by how little assistance Tanis required of him. It was yet another reminder of her deceptive athleticism. He watched as sly knelt on the sill. She peeked into the room as she lowered herself to one knee, slipping one leg into the room, followed by the other. She laid down on her stomach and stretched a hand down towards him.

Tanis groaned behind her teeth as she hauled Albert upwards in one, slow motion.

Albert was quick to get his foot to the sill and lift himself the rest of the way. He caught Tanis wincing in the corner of his eye as she shook out her hand. He let her step down first and followed, looking around at a room he had never been in before.

"Watch your step." Tanis indicated what she meant by pointing the beam of her flashlight downward. The faded yellow ring of her light illuminated the cluttered floor. Dozens of books, discarded paintbrushes, and papers blanketed the tiles beneath their feet.

Albert stepped further into the dust-littered room. He saw the ugly portrait of an infant that stared back at them in the dark. Two more windows hung on the walls next to the one they'd entered. Despite how filthy the windows, light leaked into the room. The portrait of the infant leaned back against other canvases that depicted landscapes Albert didn't recognize. Behind the paintings, iron shelves lined the walls to his right and divided the room in half to his left.

To Albert's right, office supplies and molded packing boxes lined every inch of the shelves. To his left, an ornate antique globe lay on its side on the top shelf, holding a row of empty painting frames from toppling over. The rest of the shelves dividing the room were stuffed with more packing boxes and a red tank of gasoline. Paint cans and old wooden paintbrushes littered the surface of metal cabinets that lined the far wall.

"Let's see…" Albert heard Tanis say, followed by a loud scraping sound. Albert flinched at the loud noise and turned his head. He watched as she dragged a pair of stacked bar stools from their place against the wall. She was searching for…something but what he had no idea.

Albert stepped over and picked up the stack of stools, frowning at her. "I'd rather not add to our chances of bringing unwanted attention our way. At the very least is you were strong enough to help me up, you can lift the bloody stool."

For the second time, Albert stared at her dumbfounded. Was that an excuse?

Tanis returned her attention to the wall and ran her gloved hand along it as she searched. "I doubt the power works."

"Based on what I know of Umbrella's construction-"

Before Albert could finish the thought, Tanis flicked the light switch. The large bulb hanging from the high ceiling flickered. Both their heads to jerk upwards.

Tanis flicked off the lights again before Albert could speak. Tanis quirked a brow at him and moved her gloved hand to the door. "Not so abandoned anymore, is it?"

"An unfortunate reality. This confirms our adversaries are as clever as expected." Albert blinked back the burn in his retinas as he heard Tanis turn the knob of the closet door. He heard the click of the lock a second later and immediately looked to Tanis.

"'Adversaries'" Tanis echoed, "Hold on." Tanis shed her backpack again and knelt in front of the door.

Albert walked the length of the room to stand behind her and watched as she produced a couple of picks in each hand. He watched Tanis go to work for a moment before his eyes began to explore.

"Now, we're in," Tanis said, looking at him as she slipped the skinny tools into her pocket. She pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway. She looked left and right before turning right and disappearing from his site as she began to walk down the hall.

Albert followed after her, shifting his eyes to look ahead in the all too familiar hallway.

Tanis slipped her flashlight from a side pocket of her backpack and clicked the device on, illuminating the end of the hallway—and the set of stairs that waited at the end. The walls of the hallway were painted an ugly shade of brownish-green and crackled in places from the moisture that leaked along the walls. Crystal lamps hung from the walls but remained off and glimmered in Tanis' light as she passed. There was nothing exceptional regarding the hallway, except that Albert recognized this part of the building now. He caught up to her in three quick strides and glanced at the only door looming at the left end of the hall.

Albert inwardly kicked himself, realizing they were already on their way to accessing the facility. In the center of the wall by the stairs, a piece of notebook paper hung taped to the filthy wall.

Tanis marched up to it and peeled the page from the wall, shining her light on the messy scribble between the lines. "'Hideki, power has been restored to the center. Head to the security booth and verify all of the security cameras are working.'"

"Is there any more?" Albert offered, tilting his head a little at the paper in her hands. "On the other side, perhaps?"

Tanis looked up at him and pressed her lips together as she flipped the page over to reveal a blank back. She turned to look at the staircase at the end of the hall.

Albert assumed Tanis had already theorized they led to their intended destination. A moment later, her head lifted as she pointed her flashlight to the upper left corner of the hallway.

Albert followed the beam with his eyes and frowned at the security camera that hung in the corner. A green light blinked above the lens.

"You don't happen to remember where the security booth is, do you?"

Knowing that would've been common knowledge to anyone familiar with the training center. "Yes. It's rather close."

"Lucky us," Tanis didn't look at him as she replaced the note on the wall. "I'm right behind you."

Albert wasted no time in opening the door to their left and stepped out into the foyer beyond. The darkness of the room offered Albert a semblance of relief. The unlit torches scattered about the room suggested that they were the only occupants. He looked up as he watched the beam of Tanis' flashlight roam about the elaborately painted ceiling.

Rosy-cheeked cherubs surrounded the massive metal chandelier above their heads. The white marble of the walls still shined beneath the layers of dust that caked their surfaces. The checkered tiles beneath their feet reflected the room beneath a thick layer of dust. Turkish rugs squished beneath Albert's boots as he crossed the floor. Albert remembered the half-moon glass panes hanging above the doors, and paintings looked more vibrant when he was here last.

"Wow," Tanis scoffed, "and I thought Spencer's mansion was ostentatious."

The statement earned a smirk, but Albert couldn't help his eyes roaming to cushioned chairs aligned along the left wall. He pictured a younger version of William slouched in the furthest one to the left, complaining that curing the Ebola virus had been too easy. Seeing the look of amazement on Tanis' face made him wonder if it'd been strange for he and William to be so at ease in a building she found imposing.

"Indeed," Albert looked around at the foyer again, "And only two bathrooms. As much practicality as he has good taste."

Another grin from Tanis, but she remained focused, and Albert tallied the victory. He stepped further into the room, watching as Tanis' light roamed to the front doors. The light settled on the pair of knights standing on either side. Their swords crossed each other and across the liquored wooden double-doors. Tanis made a face at the reasonably preposterous bolt across the doors. To Albert's surprise, Tanis didn't comment on them.

Inevitably, Tanis' light drifted to the stairs and bobbed across the painting that sat at the center, elevated platform of the grand staircase. She tilted her head at the massive portrait that stared back at them with a pair of dark, hollowed eyes.

Albert watched as Tanis climbed the short flight of stairs for a better look. He could hear the withered carped crush beneath her boots with every step she took. He stepped up after her, anticipating the questions that would come his way.

"'The first general manager, Doctor James Marcus,'" Tanis tilted her head at the painting. "How old was Doctor Marcus when he died?"

Somehow, Albert still failed to remember Tanis' tendency for questions he was never prepared for. "Old enough. I never bothered to learn that."

Then again, Albert was beginning to understand that about Tanis. Her nonsensical inquiries always seemed to answer a question only Tanis knew she was asking.

Tanis looked at him and nodded as she looked back at the ghostly face of his late mentor.

Albert narrowed his eyes again, realizing he'd taken notice of a pattern. The explanation probably wouldn't be believable if he asked, but Albert understood something at that moment. Tanis wouldn't elaborate on her own inquiries unless prompted to. She would disguise the questions she was really asking and catalog the answers she was looking for. What had been Spencer's observation? Something about Tanis 'blinds everyone to her presence.' The same principle applied to Tanis' tactics. Her nonsensical topics seemed harmless and were quickly forgotten as soon as the conversation ended for everyone but her.

"Why are you asking?" Albert stood at the foot of the stairs. He listened as he waited for Tanis to respond, eager to test his theory.

"It's just strange for a paranoid and suicidal man to wear a yellow tie."

There was the nonsensical response.

"In the business world that usually means you're 'approachable.' In the intelligence world, that means 'you're in danger and require assistance.'"

Translation: Tanis suspects foul play and…is possibly referencing a color code that actually exists. If not, she's cleverly juxtaposing the color of Marcus' hideous tie to disguise her question with an ironic statement. Both were possibly true in equal measure. This was more than a communication tactic. This was Tanis' language.

Albert turned his eyes to Marcus' portrait. He couldn't risk his expression giving away his discovery. He almost laughed at the idea of Marcus wearing the accessory to seem more approachable. Such a description would never fit the old man's character. Marcus's death offered no sense of awareness that he and William had come for him.

Tanis didn't know any of this. Of course, Tanis would be confident in her assessment because of whatever she learned from their conversation on the bridge.

"His nerves must have gotten the better of him." Albert looked back at Tanis, taking full note of the watchful look in her eye. It was brief, like the failing spark of a lighter, but he'd seen it. Another moment of Tanis Muller storing away whatever answer his response provided. Albert's heart hammered in his chest, but he kept his composure. He had to fight the grin that itched at the corners of his mouth. He couldn't help the elation that followed his discovery. He also couldn't help admitting Tanis' elaborate façade impressed him. It impressed him about as much as he impressed himself that he'd finally made sense of the woman.

"Shall we proceed?"

Tanis glanced at the portrait again. Albert almost reeled from the brief look of puzzlement that spread across her face. He turned away to smirk. Yes, the conversation was over, and he had nothing more to share on the matter.


	6. Chapter 6

Tanis detested the stench of burning sugar. This had not been the first time she had been to Raccoon City's airport or encountered the terrible smells that radiated from the food booths that lurked just beyond the airline gate. Tanis glared at a skinny girl sliding a tray of glaze-smothered pastries into the display of one of the booths as she marched. The cheap American food that greeted her every time she came through this lobby laughed at her, at a sixteen-year-old girl who had been desperately hungry and none the wiser about what she traded a few crumpled bills for. Since then she had learned one very important lesson: American cheese was a vomit-inducing agent used to ward off foreigners from wanting to come back.

Tanis marched fast, intending to leave the stench of cheap food behind her and an unwanted companion. She assumed Hideki would be looming somewhere behind her, still possessed by the idea that she needed to take him somewhere. She followed the traffic of passengers exiting their flight gates and kept in line with a woman carrying a baby on her hip. Tanis glanced at the little blonde, blue-eyed creature that stared back at her, feeling its little eyes bore into her. She admittedly was never bothered by the feeling that came with being watched. As Malcolm had once put it, being a beautiful woman meant she would never have a choice in the matter.

The airport traffic banked left down an ugly hallway full of discarded, empty yellow crates and supply carts that were collecting dust and ended at a warehouse-sized room littered with luggage carousels.

"Tanis," she ignored her name being called by the half-wit making a scene somewhere behind her. Hideki had been instructed before entering the plane that they were unaffiliated, that any communication between them following their departure was strictly prohibited. "Wait!"

The woman with the baby walking to her left turn her head, as did other people in the line of traffic around her. Tanis stared forward, steering through tightly clamored bodies and directly into a nearing woman's restroom. She cleared her throat as she marched around the same mind-numbing line of women that formed from the curse of perpetually ill-designed restrooms and walked up to the mirror, staring at herself for a moment. Now was the time anyway, she could wait out Hideki if she had to, even if it meant enduring the mixed odors of cheap disinfectant and imitation Gucci perfume. Tanis' eyes glanced briefly at the woman who had marched up next to her to examine herself. Tanis watched curiously as the busty brunette applied layer after layer of cranberry red lipstick before eventually pressing her lips together. Tanis could have sworn the woman's lips had grown thee sizes.

"Very fifties, looks good on you," the woman complimented, glancing at her before walking off. Tanis' eyes flickered back to her reflection, to her ivory lace blouse that buttoned up to her neck, the lapis blue cardigan she wore over it and the folds of her long cotton skirt that were patterned with scarlet poppies in a scarlet field. Malcolm had never liked it when she dressed this way, telling her she looked like a child. Tanis had always thought she had simply looked more Irish. She had thought this because the first time she had ever assembled the outfit she had been in London and everyone she and Malcolm encountered would ask her as such.

That was the curse that came with being Edonian, either one looked too Irish or Scottish, English or Belgian. A native Edonian was never placed and that was due in large part to the trademark red hair and brown eyes of the Edonian people. Tanis bit at her bottom lip as she examined herself, wondering what parts of her face and thicker body (she was thicker for a woman of her short size) fooled people into inventing new identities for her.

A moment later Tanis had decided she had heard the flush of the toilets enough times and exited the restroom, forcing herself to keep her eyes forward as she navigated the bustling baggage claim area. Whether Hideki saw her or not would not matter, considering he had baggage to claim and she did not. She also had a ride waiting for her. She reached into the tiny brown leather purse that dangled from her shoulder for the sole purpose of convincing onlookers she was unremarkable and retrieved her customs papers before exiting the bathroom.

A healthy start waited for her on the other side of that gate, no more having to share Malcolm's bed. She would have one that actually belonged to her. She followed the signs dangling from the ugly, dusty ceilings and joined the nearest customs line, perturbed by the fact that she had not heard her name being called again. She dared a glance over her shoulder, seeing other distracted faces but none looking her way. Tanis turned her head again, licking her lips and taking another step forward. She could safely assume Hideki had just given up or exited before her. She frowned at the idea, leaned around the man standing in front of her to look towards the gates. Was he waiting for her out there?

"Why are the lines so long," A skinny girl standing next to the man in front of her groaned. There was an even tinier girl in overalls at her side and presumably, her parents stood to the girl's left. Tanis glanced down at the dark-haired girl as she tied back her dark hair with a rubber band, watching her pink-painted nails sink in and out of her dark locks.

"Damn airport just had to close down the international lines," the man in front of her grumbled.

"Barry," the woman scolded.

"Sorry," the man sighed unenthusiastically. The smallest girl laughed, clinging to the taller girl's arm as she bobbed on her little legs.

"This is taking forever," the girl with the pink nails groaned again. Tanis smiled a little at the girl's impatience as they inched forward a little again.

"We're almost there, Moira," the father reassured calmly, dropping a hand on the top of her head. The girl hissed another impatient sigh before folding her arms across her chest and hung her head. Tanis spotted a skull and bones wash-off tattoo on the back of her neck that had already begun to chip away before the line inched forward again.

"You're not working today, are you," the woman asked.

"I'm just gonna head to the station," the man replied, "Thought I'd be there to welcome Alpha team's newest recruit."

"Oh I had no idea Chris decided to join after all," the woman said

"Passed with flying colors," Barry chuckled.

"Guys we're next," Moira said, pointing to one of the three booths positioned before them. Tanis spared a glance at the four before she was beckoned forward. As soon as she was ushered onwards Tanis hesitated in the automatic doors that led to the outer airport lobby. She glanced about for Hideki before she allowed herself to take another step. No sign of him anywhere. She walked forward, clinging tightly to her little purse as she stepped towards the doors on the opposite side of the room where she could see lines of cars waiting beyond. She had seen her ride beyond the glass panes the moment she spotted a deep crimson mustang. The inside of her palms were drenched the minute she pushed her way through the revolving door and her breath short when she spotted her driver.

"Look at you in all your colors," there was a song in this man's heavy Irish accent that sent a wave of relief through her, "You must be happy to see me, then."

"Alec," Tanis called, surprised by how breathless she had suddenly become. Alec smiled his crooked smile, jogging up to her a moment later and taking her into his arms. She sucked in a breath, inhaling a whiff of soft cologne as she buried a sudden manifestation of guilt and pulled away, wiping off a little stream of tears she had managed to drip on his black leather jacket.

"Ah, lass, don't do that," Alec said chuckling a little as he cupped her face in his hands and wiped at her tears with his thumbs, "Malcolm didn't come with you did he?" Tanis shook her head in his hands and cleared her throat. "Magic, because I was sure that pistol in my glove compartment would have ruined the whole day."

"I don't want to be here anymore," Tanis said to him. Alex kissed the top of her head and dropped his hands.

"No bags," he asked, slipping his keys from the breast pocket of he jacket.

"No bags," She replied, leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Shite, that means you're going to need clothes. I'm guessing you don't have your own credit card, just yet," Tanis bit down on her bottom lip and hesitated before looking up at Alec, his rugged face twisted into a look of theatric agony. "Christ you lasses, how much did your colors cost?"

"I inherited them from Malcolm," Tanis said, shrugging away from him and opening the passenger door.

"Have you ever seen the film, The Silence of the Lambs," Alec asked. Tanis paused halfway in her descent to sink into his car to glare at him. His brows raised and she could tell he was forcing back a smile, "Beg your pardon, just an innocent question. Totally unrelated to anything you and I have to do with" Tanis slammed the door and watched him cross around the hood of the car, squirming a little as she watched people exit the doors. She wondered if Hideki would remember the license plate of Alec's car if he saw it. She frowned at herself as Alec slipped into the car next to her, revving his engine. What would Hideki do if he did?

"I dropped a subject here," Tanis said as she slipped on her seatbelt.

"Do you see them out there," Alec asked as he pulled into the driveway.

"No," she said.

"All for the best," Alec replied, "you're free-lancing now so you don't have to worry about them anymore." Tanis did not look at him, the guilt in her core once again manifesting. Malcolm always hated it when she had secrets, and she sat next to the only one she had been able to keep. She wondered if Malcolm had known, if he had known what had been waiting for her in Raccoon City.

"He knows I came here," Tanis said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Well you had to," Alec said, his voice enviably comfortable, "you had to report to him for your last mission, but he wouldn't expect you to stay in the same city as your subject." Alec placed his hand on hers but kept his gaze forward.

"Would he come here," Tanis asked, fingering the handle of her door with her free hand.

"He's duty-bound to stay away from agents under the protection of MI6, that's why I told you it'd be a good idea to stay here, have faith in me, Tanis," he glanced at her, a boyish smile stretching on his face. She weaved her fingers with his and took a slow breath. She just needed to work, to do something.

"Have you found a job for me, yet," she asked, staring out the window as they left behind what remained of the ugly structure that was Raccoon City Airport.

"You just got here, lass," Alec said, releasing her hand to brush his fingers through his short dark hair, "How do you feel about skip-tracing?" Tanis frowned and stared at him.

"Skip-tracing," she repeated. He glanced at her and laughed.

"Well it's not always a desk job," he said, "No, there are a lot of wealthy corporates who sit in their fancy chairs behind their fancy desks who always want to hire someone to knock their competitors down. Huge problem around here, but it pays well."

"How bad of a problem," Tanis asked disbelievingly. Alec smirked and shrugged a shoulder.

"Well Umbrella's the largest corporation in the area but there are some small fries that compete among themselves," Alec explained. Tanis squinted a little in response to the glare of the sunset shining in her eyes and she reached up a hand to shield her gaze, spotting the first signs of skyscrapers and a road sign that read:

**WELCOME TO**

**RACCOON CITY**

**HOME OF UMBRELLA**

"Lucky for you, your new home will be right in the middle of downtown," Alec told her, "You're on Warren Street, full of restaurants and fun things to do when you get as unimaginably bored on the job as I get." Tanis glanced at him and gnashed at the inside of her cheek.

"Where do you live," she asked after a moment. Alec smiled at her and dropped his hand on hers again.

"Close," he said, "I promise."


	7. Encounter

There was something exceptional about a vague document file. Tanis could not decide if it were the obvious display of secrets being kept by the client that intrigued her, or the spur of the challenge that came from the attempt of control presented to her through an assortment of guarded information. She flipped through the documents, reexamining the contents she had already read four times before. The first page had included the credentials of a man named "Albert Wesker." Upon the first inspection of the man's identification card paper-clipped to the page, she guessed the very German looking man was still a Yank.

"It's legitimate," Alec said from where he sat across the table from her. He sat with the corner of his jaw leaning into the inside curve of his finger and his thumb, his elbow balancing on the table next to his plate of croissant crumbs and beads of jam. "If that's why you're reading it again."

"Is the corporation worth harassing," Tanis asked. Alec simply shrugged a shoulder as she reached for her cup of tea, sipping as she stared at him expectantly. He smiled sleepily after a moment and sucked in a breath through his nostrils.

"The job isn't to bring down the company," Alec said, stretching his arms behind his head. "It's just for the human trafficking." Tanis' eyes drifted back to the file as she lowered her cup. A page of a manifesto had been included in the file, a list of one hundred and forty names of people being delivered to a James Marcus.

"You're on another crusade," Tanis accused. Alec scoffed and slumped in his seat.

"I am not!" He gnashed at the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as his brain wracked for an explanation Tanis imagined he would consider reasonable. "It's the Yankees' job to throw out the corporation for its shady practices. I just think it would be profitable to expose a scandal or two."

Tanis watched Alec long enough to make him squirm. She frowned at him and leaned back in her seat.

"I'm helping you with something," she said. Alec pouted.

"It's not like that, lass," he said. Tanis glanced at the file and shook her head.

"You've already taken a job against Umbrella." Malcolm pursed his lips and after a moment shrugged a shoulder. Tanis had been hardly surprised. Similar circumstances had occurred years back in Bearsden, in her having to enlist Alec in helping her track down a KGB straggler carrying missile coordinates. They had found and neutralized her target, but not before having to aid Alec in neutralizing all KGB agents present at her target's rendezvous location—which had been his job. The crusade began when they had parted ways. Alec had followed intelligence from what had been left of the KGB they had killed to Italy, exposing several factories in Verona that contained microdot coordinates on slips of papers concealed in priest habits. It ended with several bullets following a third factory exposure wizening Alec to his own mortality.

"I may have," he said, lifting his hands in surrender, "but, it'll only help you get the job done faster." Tanis frowned at him. "I swear, lass, I need you in there. We share what we find, help our clients and Umbrella gets the scandal it probably deserves."

"Who's your client?" Tanis drummed her fingers on the table top as she waited, watching Alec glance down at the file in front of her.

"I'm sorry," he said, placing his hands flat on the table in front of him. "Because my client is often around yours, I don't want you to risk seeing them." It was Tanis' turn to scoff.

"I won't expose your client," Tanis said, "do you not trust me?"

"No, I trust you," Alec said quickly. "They're just cautious." Tanis leaned towards him, feeling the tips of her fingers go cold.

"Does this client know about me," Tanis asked. Alec shook his head.

"They just know I'm going to have someone else come in. They don't have any description of you or anything." Tanis leaned back again, confused. Then what was the problem? Why could she not know about—then it struck her.

"You approached them," Tanis said, confident in the assessment when Alec's eyes widened slightly, "You are on a crusade." Alec sighed, chuckling with a shake of his head.

"Why are you getting so suspicious of me?" Alec laughed as if she were being preposterous. Tanis hated when he brushed her off, considering the past occurrences in which when had been tricked into helping him do his work for him.

"You were the one who warned me not to get involved with the corporation," Tanis said, frowning at him. Alec shook his head.

"You don't have to accept the job if you don't want to," he said, "but it really is just a small job. We won't even be noticed, even less with you helping me from another end."

"Fine," Tanis said, glancing down at the papers in front of her again. "Is there anything else I need to know?" Wordlessly Alec reached across the table and flipped back to the first page, slipping the identification card from the paper clip and holding it out to her. Tanis took it and flipped it over, spotting a single phone number on the back.

"I suggest you ask him," Alec said from behind the little plastic card.

*DF*

"Following last week's press conference hosted by Enrico Marini, captain of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo team, it appears no further information will be released on the couple found brutally murdered last week in the Arklay mountains just outside of Raccoon City. S.T.A.R.S., in addition to the Raccoon City police force, agree that no evidence of foul play could be determined in their investigation and will be dismissing the investigation as a tragic wildlife attack due in large part to the autopsy report submitted just this morning. The Raccoon Post reminds the citizens of Raccoon City to remain cautious when choosing to camp in the Arklay. Alyssa Ashcroft, Raccoon City Post."

Tanis slipped her left arm through the sleeve of her wide-collared, midnight blue wrap around sweater before reaching for the remote on her coffee table and switching off the television. She tossed the remote onto her sofa as she turned to enter her bedroom and snatched a rubber band from her cluttered dresser, staring at the paper tear-away calendar hanging on the wall. The sheet of the calendar read, "February 3rd, 1991." She had admittedly waited three days to accept the job, hesitating at the thought of aiding Alec in one of his personal crusades again. That had not been what had left her feeling restless this afternoon, however. The anticipation of having to be relatively anywhere by appointment always left Tanis restless. She pulled back her titan hair and looped the rubber band three times around the locks she messily gathered in a fist. She had made the necessary reservations, prepared everything for the encounter. All she had to do was signal her client.

Tanis stared at herself in the mirror, regarding herself for a moment. She had lived in this city for three years now and only the month before had she come to notice that most of her girlish features had begun to fade. Her eyes had definitely receded slightly, the girlish pudge of flesh that surrounded her eyes had since deflated and her cheek bones were slightly more refined rather than be as round as they used to be. For her these had been the most obvious changes, that and her breast had begun to lose its perk. She had reminded herself several times to call the surgeon from the newspaper clipping she had found but never once did. Tanis glanced back at her nightstand, seeing the very newspaper clipping in question looming beneath her lamp. Her wrap around sweaters and loose fitting blouses had been more cost-friendly solutions.

A sigh flared through Tanis' nostrils as she exited her bedroom and gathered her belongings; a black leather purse, wallet, keys and a half-empty bottle of Umbrella-brand Zoloft. As soon as all were neatly sorted into her purse, Tanis entered her kitchen, lifting her client's identification card and stepped over to her phone. Wordlessly, Tanis dialed and put the phone to her ear. She counted six dial tones before the inevitable voice message dial wrung.

"Mister Wesker, my name is Jackeline Barnette and I was calling to congratulate you as Glaciarts Publishing has accepted your manuscript titled, "Forwards and onwards" for publication. We would love it if you could come by for a final consultation concerning the opening scene in your manuscript we discussed earlier this week. Our publicist was wondering if you would be willing to rename the bar, "J's Bar?" Local fiction is all the rage right now in Raccoon City and we think this would definitely boost your book's sales. We'll be eagerly waiting to see you back at our location. Congratulations again."

Tanis hung up the phone a split second later, clicked off the lights in her apartment and snatched her purse on the way out.

*DF*

Tanis moved swiftly down the street, spotting the red glass-pained door of Jack's Bar before the neon sign itself. She slowed as she lifted a hand for the doorknob and paused when it flew open, coming face to face with a man with a belt on his gun. A second later Tanis spotted a S.T.A.R.S. emblem on the man's dark brown vest.

"Oh, excuse me ma'am," the man politely said, stepping back to allow her to enter. Tanis smiled and nodded entering as she shrugged of the February cold. As she entered she spotted a much younger man flanking the previous S.T.A.R.S. member, dressed in a similar orange vest. Their eyes met and he smiled at her, light blue eyes stealing a few glances. "So have you met Alpha team's new recruit yet, Aiken?"

Tanis adjusted her purse on her shoulder as she passed the due, curiously eavesdropping on the remainder of their conversation as they exited.

"Chris? Yes, captain, he's a good guy," the younger man replied just before the door swung closed behind them. Tanis tucked a titian curl behind her ear as she marched up to the bar.

"Can you help the lady out, Cindy?" A platinum blonde looked up from her station of buffing glasses and smiled at her.

"I have a reservation for the wine room," Tanis told her.

"You must be Jackeline," the girl said, walking around the bar and lifting a pair of menus from their stand. "Follow me please." Tanis wordlessly followed as the girl ushered her around the bar and through a back door, reassuring herself there had been no sign of her client as she walked. "Boy you must really love your husband." Tanis looked over at the girl who smirked back at her.

"I'm meeting a client here," Tanis told her, fidgeting with her sweater a little. The smile did not disappear from the waitresses' face and Tanis was not bothered by it. They marched further towards the end of the hallway before the waitress led her to a door to their right and opened it wide.

Wordlessly Tanis entered the dimly lit room and glanced about at the many wine racks that dangled on the walls and the six large barrels that lingered to her left. She stepped towards the sizeable wooden table before her, already set with a cheese board and glasses. Perfect.

"Ok," Cindy said, placing the menus on the table before walking over to a cart parked by the wine racks. "So for your tasting we always offer a pre-selected list of great local wineries, followed by a few foreign favorites…" Tanis watched the girl with mild interest as she combed through the wine selection, a little slip of paper pinched between her long fingers. "I'll go ahead and set out the first wave of wine, two locals and two foreign…"

Tanis hung her purse on the chair nearest her and looked around at the room again as she patiently waited. In the time it was taking the girl to select her bottles, Tanis had spotted several places she would customarily have to plant microphones or little camcorders for her encounters. Only now, such a step was not necessary.

"Alright, that is it for the first wave," Cindy said, drawing Tanis' attention away from a thin crevice in the wall next to one of the wine barrels. "Do you know about when your client will be here?" Cindy rolled the cart and parked it next to the table before folding her little note between her fingers.

"Any minute, his name is Albert Wesker," Tanis told her, reminding herself mentally that there were habits she needed to start breaking. The girl immediately slipped a pen from the pocket of her apron and jotted down the name. She looked up and smiled pleasantly again.

"Ok, I'll walk him back when he arrives," she said before excusing herself from the room. Tanis turned on her heals as soon as the girl was gone and examined the bottles in the cart. She lifted one of the bottles and read the label, "Yellow Hound, 1957 Holigrad." She slipped the bottle and examined the next one, "AppleWood Vinyards, 1989 Harvardville Vintage Red Wine." Hesitantly, Tanis returned the bottle and continued examining the selection, "Ivy Vinyards, 1976 Tall Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon." The last bottle was lifted next and Tanis scowled, taking the bottle back to where she had assumed the bottle had come from and traded "Raccoon Society Merlot" for "Kivutio Cabernet Sauvignon, 1961 Kijuju." She walked back to the cart and slipped in her selection before placing a hand on the backrest of the seat she had selected for herself. She tapped a thumb against the chair as she waited, pausing occasionally when she heard footsteps approaching the door. By the third time her fidgeting had paused in response to a pair of footsteps, the door to the room creaked open. Tanis straightened a little and watched her client enter, taking note that a pair of sunglasses blocked her view of his eyes. She forced herself to keep from narrowing her eyes at the curios choice and reached for his seat, pulling it back for him.

"Please," she said before taking her own seat. Wordlessly and with his gloved hands folded in front of him he took his seat, both seemingly more curious towards the waitress' scurrying to serve them their first glass. Tanis reached for the cheese knife in front of her, not bothering to slice into the pudgy brie and serving herself. It was one luxury that came with skip tracing, she could treat herself during her encounters. Then again she possibly did not deserve it as, clearly, she had made her client uncomfortable by dropping his name.

"We're going to begin with a favorite local wine," Cindy told them, alerting them to the minimal purpose she had here. "AppleWood Vinyards is popular here in Raccoon City. The year is 1989 and it is from Harvardville." Cindy showed them the bottle but Tanis' gaze was on her breasts, reminding herself yet again to call the surgeon. The cork was popped and Cindy poured as Tanis shrugged off the concern and ate the pudgy wedge of cheese she had cut for herself.

"Thank you," Tanis pleasantly said as she reached for her filled glass.

"You are very welcome," Cindy replied before placing the bottle in the center of the table. "When you are ready to taste the next bottle just press the call button next to the door and I will come back." Tanis took a patient sip of the wine in her glass until she waited to hear to door close behind the waitress, turning to her client after.

She said nothing as he mutely lifted his glass, took a sip of his own. The sunglasses remained, until he finished his sip and they were neatly folded and slipped into the pocket of his blazer. He was self-conscious of his eye contact, Tanis decided as he lifted his glass and watched the swirling liquid.

"I suppose I should apologize for my tardiness," he said calmly.

"No need," Tanis replied, deciding to imitate his decision to swirl his wine glass. "I've always made it a point to be early." Their eyes met and he leaned back in his seat. She smiled at him and imitated his posture. "On the contrary I should be the one apologizing," she continued, folding her legs, "It was inconsiderate of me to reserve a wine tasting without consolidating you on whether or not it was to your taste."

Anyone who did not like wine was suspicious, everyone liked wine.

"You needn't concern yourself," he said, stopping his glass swirling as soon as he realized she had been imitating him. Tanis took another patient sip, watching him stare back at her expectantly. She never blamed the clients she had worked for in this city never knowing how correctly to address her or the business between them. This one however; it interested her that he was attempting to behave as if he did know how such transactions functioned. It was still clear to her that he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to be doing or saying to her.

"In my line of work," Tanis began, deciding she had plenty of time to assess her client as they went. "I tend to listen to my client rather than speak myself. So please." She ushered him to begin with a small wave of her hand and took another sip of her wine. He forced back a frown but she could tell he was tolerating her.

"Have you read the case file?" He slipped off one of his leather gloves as he asked. Tanis glanced at the deflated accessory as it was deposited on the table and nodded.

"I did." She began to rub the side of her thumb along the rim of her glass, wondering what he must have thought entering into the back room of a bar only to find a woman two-sizes smaller than himself waiting.

"I trust then that you must have questions." He was prodding her now and Tanis forced back a smile.

"Your 'case file' was transparently clear, so I have no questions pertaining to the matter at hand," Tanis replied, taking another patient sip from her glass. At this he frowned, his face stretched into an irritated look and Tanis lowered her glass, deciding she had assessed enough. "Your company must be very confident their human trafficking claim will damage Umbrella's reputation. Enough to protect them from any serious repercussions anyway."

"Yes, they are. They are already prepared to steer the media against Umbrella when the story breaks. We shall be unharmed," Albert said. Tanis kept herself from smirking and held out a hand to him.

"Tanis," she simply said. She watched the man's irises bulge with confusion as he glanced between her and her hand but did not move to take it. Tanis did not look away from the suspicious look in his eye before she pointed at him.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"My name," she said leaning back in her seat again and retrieving her glass. "My name is Tanis Muller. I to determine whether or not I was a good match for your needs. Thankfully, it seems I can be of use." Tanis drained her glass and stood, walking around Albert to retrieve another bottle from the cart to open. Albert remained silent but Tanis knew he was still watching her intently.

"I next want to ask you," Tanis began again, grabbing the bottle opener with her free hand and walked back over to the table. "How much danger you are in being with me here tonight?"

"Enough." Tanis plunged the bottle opener into the cork. "We must be cautious and avoid too lengthy of a discussion. For the time being I cannot make my presence unknown for long." Tanis glanced up from her attempts to open the bottle when Albert reached out a hand. She handed him the bottle and watched silently as he popped the cork with one effortless tug.

"How sure is your company that Umbrella is not already aware of your presence?" Tanis accepted the bottle as soon as Albert held it out to her and she turned to her glass, pouring the crimson-black liquid.

"I cannot give you certainty. At our level I'm sure you're aware we aren't always given the full story." The statement gave Tanis pause as she lifted the bottle and placed it at the center of the table. She had not encountered a truer assortment of words that described her entire life. "However, they've assured me that were I in danger, I would've been extracted."

Tanis resumed her place in her seat and nodded, weighing whether or not his confidence was advantageous. She lifted her glass again, sipping and blinking at the bottle, caught off guard by the Kijuju Sauvignon. It was oddly pungent, sweet, and with a hint of black pepper.

"Do you have any recommendations of where I should begin," Tanis asked, swirling her glass again. Albert leaned back in his seat, folding his fingers in his lap. He looked away from her, his eyes thoughtful.

"Based upon my observations up to this point, and as Cliché as it may be," Albert reaffirmed his statement with a look at her before continuing, "Spencer's butler seems to know much. He's a sort of confidant, he's been with the Spencer family for years."

Albert reached for his glass of wine, draining what was left and Tanis reached over a free hand, pushing the bottle towards him with her finger. Mutely he accepted the bottle and poured. At this Tanis' brows drew together with curiosity. When had she missed the moment in which her client had become comfortable sharing the same space with her? It was a phenomenon in other people she always failed to notice.

"I'm also aware of some employees who are less than dedicated to the company," Albert said, filling his glass. "A fellow named Greg Mueller, and a woman who works for him named Monica," he took a patient sip and shrugged a shoulder, "I've only ever heard her by first name."

Tanis sat up a little in her seat and placed her glass on the table, deciding to slice a little more at the neglected wedges of cheese still sitting on the board.

"The case file also mentioned that you had a cover prepared for me," Tanis said, eagerly slipping a plump wedge of brie between her lips.

"As enigmatic as he is, Spencer's quite interested in the sort of frivolous things men with old money enjoy," Albert said, placing his own glass on the table. "Commissions of art and so on. He seems to want to preserve his legacy, or at least, his public image. I doubt he'll suspect someone wanting to write about him and his company in a positive light."

Tanis nodded and licked her lips as she absorbed the idea. She had been a writer before, four times in fact. The third time utilizing the cover had been regretful, something she realized she should have thought better of since her destination had been in the center of Taiz, Yemen.

"Would you prefer I approach him," she asked. Albert glanced at her and nodded.

"Yes. These requests are done through the public affairs office. You'll be investigated covertly without your knowledge," Albert told her. Tanis' eyes fell and she wrinkled her nose. As far as he knew anyway. "However I'll make it so I'm the agent assigned to that task."

Wordlessly Tanis nodded, not that the accommodation would be necessary. They would not find her ties to MI6 anyway, she had terminated any plausible data that would link her to that identity. The reassurance had reminded her however that she had had yet to fully establish the version of herself she was inventing for her retirement. Tanis allowed a sigh to flare through her nostrils as soon as she once again remembered that she needed to make the appointment to fix her breast.

"Let me know when you wish to commence," Tanis said, brushing a titian curl behind her ear. She looked up at Albert and blinked when she noticed he was looking back at her, a brow slightly quirked. Tanis reached into her purse, slipping a pen from within the cluttered depths and a small, blue leather bound journal. "I have an appointment in town this week, it would be the only reason I wouldn't answer."

As soon as she had managed to scrawl down the phone number to her home that was dialed by only three living people, she tore the page and handed it to Albert. He took the paper and slipped it into the inside of his blazer. Tanis glanced from where the paper had vanished and looked up at him, smiling a little as she reached for her glass.

"Indeed," he said, standing from his seat and draining his glass. "Until next time, Agent Tanis."


	8. Ahnenerbe

"Where did he come from?" Tanis restated the question with an additional layer of demand. She glanced between them pointedly, but Albert concluded his spy was having trouble maintaining eye contact from having been so recently concussed. He directed at Ada's chest. The fact that the more youthful spy became complacent from the other end of the assassination weapon was telling. For the moment it seemed Ada wasn't confident he wouldn't pull the trigger. Albert would utilize such information to his advantage.

"That is the question." Albert directed his accusatory gaze on Ada. "Isn't it?"  
"Maybe you can stop pointing your little gun at me, and I'll consider being more inclined to answer." Ada lowered her hands a fraction, staring defiantly back at him.

The request was fulfilled by Albert cocking the barrel of the gun skyward. "Are you considering now?"

The sound of Tanis' footsteps echoed in the hall as she passed by them and approached the corpse on the floor. She lifted a hand to her scarlet nostrils and stared down at the B.O.W. she'd expertly neutralized moments before.

"You should probably tend to that. Who knows what she might run into."

"I think you indeed might know as a matter of fact." Albert firmly seized Ada by her forearm and towed her along, fighting the smirk that threatened following Ada tripping over the corpse in the doorway. As soon as he was in the doorway, he spotted Tanis stepped down the small staircase to the lowered platform occupied with desks. He spotted, for the first time, the slight sway in her descension. Albert scoffed as he was forced to release Ada's forearm and grab Tanis when she tilted. His knuckles grazed the side of her breast and sank slightly as her appendage shifted. His eyes widened slightly as his brain immediately deduced a synthetic texture and lack of flesh beneath the cup of her brassier.

Tanis turned on him sharply, glaring as she wrenched her arm free. "I'm fine."

Blood staining the flesh beneath her nostrils, the enflamed bridge of her nose and the sway in her walk collectively told him otherwise, but Albert didn't force the matter. He stole a subtle glance at her left breast "Is that your being sure or the possible concussion?"

"Does he have any identification on him?" Tanis' tawny-colored eyes flicked to Ada. She turned completely and leaned back against the desk behind her.

"How should I know?" Ada scoffed disbelievingly.

"You're closest." Tanis pointed out.

"You heard the lady." Albert regarded Ada closely, offering a hint of an amused smile as he wracked his brain for an explanation regarding the bio-organic weapon that currently lay at their feet. Why was there a test subject loose? Had this Aprico group done more damage than he suspected?

A sigh sounded before Ada moved to the corpse. She made a show of patting at the corpse's filthy clothing with her gloved fingers.

Presumably Ada knew as well as Albert did. There would be nothing to obtain from a zombie's person. He decided he couldn't endure the pretense any further once his eyes roamed to Tanis a second time and spotted her trembling hands. Tanis crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to hide the symptoms of her concussed skull that failed miserably. He quirked a brow more at himself, surprised by the mounting concern Tanis' state had manifested. When was it he'd started becoming this invested in his employee?

"I think you are clever enough to know it would be best if I checked on you."

Tanis met his eyes, face poised and bloodied fingers still shaking. "That won't be necessary. I'm functional."

"Is that so?" Albert picked up on how Tanis seemed acutely aware of Ada at all times. Was she posturing herself? He kept his voice low. "Interesting that you are trying to save face, given how pale said face is getting from lost blood."

The comment brought Tanis' roaming eyes darting back to him. Her pupils shrank slightly in surprise. She parted her stained lips to answer but her attention returned to Ada. "Check his shoes and the inside of his clothes. He escaped from underground. He had to have an exit strategy."

"I'm not doing that," Ada responded flatly.

Albert tucked his arms across his chest, allowing himself a moment to enjoy Tanis' completely serious suggestion. She may as well have asked how long the dead man could hold his breath. It also helped that Tanis was offering William's unnecessary addition to their problem the trouble she'd earned. Ada knew as well as he did, they would have to maintain the charade for Tanis' sake. William did want Tanis to remain involved after all. Albert forced back a smirk as he slipped the flashlight from the side pocket of Tanis' backpack. He clicked on the device and looked over his shoulder at Ada.

"Not a terrible idea," Albert chimed in as he clicked on the flashlight."If you'd be so kind?"

Ada's jaw set as her chest inflated with a breath. Without a word she slipped the toe of her healed boot beneath the zombie's filthy blazer and flicked it off of his deeply stained shirt.

"Though I will admit," Albert continued returning his attention to Tanis, "we could be spending our time looking for what we originally came here for. Isn't this a waste of time?"

"No." Tanis brows pulled together as her copper colored eyes followed the beam of the flashlight. "He made it all the way up here and ran towards gunfire. He was expecting to meet someone and that someone wouldn't have come for free."

"Perhaps, but I would not make assumptions like that without more evidence." It occurred to Albert that Tanis was still sharp enough to be analyzing the situation. She'd not allowed herself to be swayed and instead kept to formulating her own, clever, though incorrect deductions. He decided even know Tanis must have been questioning Ada's reasons for being here. He would need to assess what conclusions she'd already come to. Sculpting a dialogue that affirmed some of her theories and carefully planting conclusions he preferred would be beneficial to them both. He was realizing that was what it would take to rein his spy in. "And speaking of evidence…hold still."

The flashlight set aside, and Tanis's revolver pocketed, Albert carefully cupped Tanis' face and gently pressed his thumbs against either side of the bridge of her nose. A diagonal gash no bigger than his little finger practically glowed scarlet, marking the impact of the cane. He didn't feel any breakage and the gash hadn't torn deep enough to split a vein.  
Tanis hissed in response, unintentionally jerking her head back from his gloved hands. She lifted her stained fingers to her face, her eyes scrunched to halt the rush of tears the pain invited.

"Hmm," Albert hummed, allowing a smirk, "Being thick headed has been a benefit for you tonight."  
It was Tanis' turn to offer a little smile, cracking open one of her eyes at him as the pain passed. "Like I said, it's not a problem."

Albert grabbed Tanis' arm before she could make to stand upright. "I'm sure you believe you are well enough. But you're not. And since you aren't admitting the truth, you aren't getting this back." His smirk stretched slightly in triumph as he lifted her sidearm for her to see. There was something exhilarating about noting Tanis' eyes widen with realization. Conceivably it was the fact he'd broken through her façade. He was almost tempted to move the weapon back and forth to see if her dumbstruck look would follow the weapon.

"Fine. Enjoy the two remaining shots." Tanis' lips pressed into a thin line and she glared up at him. The sound of Ada scoffing in disgust briefly distracted her gaze.

"Two?" Albert quirked a brow at her. He debated between whether or not Tanis was trying tricking him or if her concussion was inhibiting her ability to recall she'd fired two shots and had four remaining. The mistake, Albert decided, seem to be reason enough to confiscate the remainder of his trigger-happy employee's ammunition. He extended his unoccupied hand, seeing Tanis look stubbornly down at his palm. Albert didn't bother vocalizing his request, already having seen Tanis' hand twitch in response.

Without meeting his eyes, Tanis fished half a dozen bullets from an interior pocket of her oxford blue coat and relinquished each one.

As soon as Tanis lowered her hand, Albert clenched his fingers around the six little gold bullets and appropriated them. He appraised the little .38 snub-nose revolver in his gloved hand before he returned his attention to Ada.

"If you two are done, I have work to do." Ada began walking towards the double doors again with a slight saunter in her step.

"What did you take from his blazer?" Tanis asked before Albert could speak.

Albert cursed himself. Zombies were nothing but byproduct of much more fascinating research to him, so he had paid it no mind. He assumed Ada wouldn't have either, disgusted as she was with being forced to search its corpse. Albert looked over at the zombie again. Upon closer inspection, he realized the loosely hanging tie, a deeply stained button-down shirt beneath a sweater—better than average clothing. If Tanis paid attention to something as mundane as a tie color, she had already picked up on this. What took priority now was what Ada had found. Albert fought the doubt that gnawed at the back of his skull. What could she have possibly procured?

"Let's have it," Albert aimed Tanis'revolver at Ada again, "I am getting tired of mystery games in this abandoned old building."  
"Maybe you've forgotten my employer's your superior, and she's not a patient woman." Ada pivoted and confronted him head on, though her eyes still flickered to the barrel of the gun. "I'm willing to forget I ever saw her here," Ada paused to glare at Tanis, "so long as you stop wasting my time."

"I've forgotten nothing." Albert could scarcely bring himself to care about the slip of his frustration. These attractive women were becoming more trouble than they were worth. Where was Ada's loyalty, exactly? The fact that he didn't know only fueled his frustration further. Worse that he wasn't expecting Alex to have her hands in this. How was it that William had come to place his trust in this blasted woman? What he wouldn't give for another zombie to come bursting through the door right now.

"Shoot her, we can-"

"Don't." Albert snapped, stopping Tanis before she could hold them hostage with another series of nonsensical questions.

"Aside from whatever your boss thinks, right now there's just three of us in an abandoned building with a corpse. Oh, and let's not forget this puts me in charge of the three of us." Albert brandished the gun and watched Ada glare daggers back at him.  
Albert blinked when Tanis suddenly slipped by him and marched up to Ada. Initially, he wondered what she was doing but as soon as Ada lifted her hands in surrender he understood.

Tanis squandered no time and clutching the front collar of Ada's coat and reaching for the pocket inside. Out came a plastic card that Tanis held out to him to take.

That is somehow not your worst idea today, mind you." Albert smirked as he accepted the card. Tanis' expression didn't change despite his comment at she returned to Ada and began to pat her down. He stepped back, aiming the gun again as he took a better look at the silver and red keycard held between his fingers. Albert's mind stopped briefly as he read the big, bolded letters that read "INCINERATOR" across the surface.

"Anything interesting?" Tanis asked as her hand sank into Ada's left pocket.

"It seems to be an…" Albert's voice trailed off as soon as he looked up from the keycard in his hands to a Broom HC 9mm appearing from the depths of Ada's pocket.

"That's not a very quiet gun." Tanis commented, stepping back with the pistol in hand.

"Doesn't need to be if I'm fast enough." Ada bit back glaring at Tanis from over her shoulder.  
Albert tried not to react as he watched Tanis' other hand come around and expertly picked a folded piece of paper from Ada's other coat pocket. Currently was the time to reclaim the more youthful spy's attention.

"Am I going to have to confiscate that gun as well, Tanis?" Albert quirked an expectant brow at her.  
Both women's eyes locked on him, but he watched Tanis soundlessly pocket whatever she lifted from Ada.

"No," Tanis answered as she stepped away from Ada with her newly acquired weapon. Evidently, she had no intention of handing it over, but Albert didn't force the matter further.

"After what just happened, you're really going to disarm me?" Ada directed the question at him. She gestured at the zombie still lying in the doorway.

Albert's eyes shifted downwards towards the corpse that remained in the doorway. He assumed the younger spy had to be thinking the same he was: this test subject should not be here, and the possibility existed that there were more wandering the halls. It was a logical concern to have, and reason enough to not want to be unarmed. With so many unknowns, Tanis disarming Ada had been beneficial for both their sakes. And for Ada's sake, it was to her benefit she bring down her higher-than-though attitude and accept the solution he had to offer.

"Yes." Albert slipped a hand into his coat pocket and slipped his switchblade from its depths as he ascended the flight of steps towards the single door the zombie had come through. "A bigger group wins, and we do live in a democracy after all."

"You can't be serious." Ada scoffed, taking a step back.

"What? Why?" Tanis stared back looking and sounding about as unhappy as Ada did. Her butchered hand tightened slightly around the Broom HC.

"Enough," Albert held Tanis'gaze briefly, "Mrs. Wong, we've dallied enough. Now if you please."

It was time to move on and William's spy would be joining them whether she liked it or not. He tried not to smirk at the glare Ada gave him or the fact that Tanis look dismally after the woman as he held slipped the switchblade into the right pocket of her trench coat. In the corner of his eye, Tanis exited the room. She ran a hand through her titian colored hair as she did. Her bloodied knuckles practically shined like gems in the classroom's florescent light.

"It's in your best interest to continue the play," he said so only Ada could hear him. "Our mutual scruffy friend will understand."

Ada's hazel eye locked with his before she stole a glance at Tanis.

The younger spy said nothing as she resonantly walked towards the opened door right of the classroom's entrance. Albert spotted Ada rolling her eyes as she did. He hoped the woman got that he'd been referring to William. He retrieved Tanis' revolver from his other pocket and approached the doorway, regarding her replace the clip in the Broom HC. "Ready?"  
Tanis' face was unreadable as she looked back and replied, "Lead the way."

*DF*

Ada,

Minette claims that Hildebrant's logbook should either be in the library or the staff's lounge. The logbook has a black leather binding with the word "Ahnenerbe" stamped on the cover with the coinciding insignia below. I have a feeling she may be lying about its location. If she happens to be correct, show me proof that you've burned it, this incinerator key will grant you access. I expect you to search every room in the training center if necessary. If you don't find it, call me and I'll give you her hotel room number.

417-555-0178

Alex

Words weren't necessary to express how clever it had been for Tanis to proactively lift this from Ada's person. His current concern was the discrepancy in Ada's story. Explicitly, where the incinerator key had come from. The keycard in his pocket hadn't been what she'd snatched from the zombie. Ada lied. This was no revelation but knowing what she lied about was key. Additionally, now knowing her orders offered some much-needed clarity regarding why she was here in the first place. He grunted and tucked the note between his gloved fingers. As he slid the paper into the pocket of his coat, he took a moment to look at the security booth around them. The active monitors occasionally flipped from one room of the center to the next. Thankfully no zombies appeared in their feeds while Tanis unscrewed panels surrounding the keyboards. His life had been molded in the halls of this building. Not just his education, but it occurred to him, that his own father very likely wandered these halls during his time working for Spencer.

The click of a tumbler snapped Albert from his thoughts as he watched Tanis pocket her pick locking tools. The not-so-clever security booth hidden behind a bookcase in the staff wing of the library loomed a single door away. He should be grateful no other zombies impeded their path since they left the classroom behind. Only three doors to concern themselves with and one loomed behind a corner beyond the end of the skinny hallway they occupied.

"Is it compelling?" Ada asked from where she stood leaning against the wall behind her. Albert didn't answer.

"If it's not, then your pay must be."

"If nothing else Miss Wong, it tells me that your bluff failed." Albert stepped past Tanis and opened the left of the double doors leading to the library. He waited in the doorway until Ada tilted her head towards Tanis a little before wordlessly entering the room. His gaze followed Ada's when he realized Tanis hadn't moved. He spotted her staring back at him with a questioning look in her eye. She lifted the pistol in her gloved hand a little to indicate her wordless question. Albert inwardly groaned and shook his head slightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about the look of disappointment that appeared on Tanis' face as she followed after Ada with a slump in her shoulders.

Albert couldn't help quirking a brow at the expression. Did he need to remind his own employee of their priorities? Before all else, they were here to investigate Aprico. Now the father he'd recently learned of had come up again. Albert was already frustrated with one unknown player on the board, meaning this Aprico entity. In the span of his and Tanis' coming here, Alex and Hildebrant had also become apart of this situation? Albert wrinkled the note a little between his fingers. He considered its wording. Could he make the assumption Alex was more in the dark than he was about who all was involved? More pertinent, how were they all connected? One rat in Umbrella was inspiring this much activity. What was in Hildebrant Wesker's logbook? How did he factor into this with Umbrella, or maybe even Spencer himself?

"I don't catch your meaning." Ada entered farther into the room, sweeping her finger along the dusty surface of the frontal wooden desk.

"Now is not the time to be coy, Miss Wong. What did you take from the corpse?"

Whether Ada had decided of her own volition to concede or he'd managed success in persuading the woman to obey with a slam of the door behind him, Albert wasn't sure. Regardless, Ada slipped a hand into the left pocket of her trench coat and pivoted on the balls of her feet. She held it out to him between her index and middle finger as she approached him, a familiar swagger of confidence present in her step.

Another card but this time it had a face printed in the bottom left corner. He took the ID card and read the name, "ASSISTANT DIRECTOR EVERETT ROWLAND." He stared for a brief moment at the grainy image of a man with an oval-shaped face, a hooked nose and a dark head of unkempt hair. It took Albert a moment to recognize the inconsequential bastard who obsessed over pitting him and William against one another. To think he hadn't recognized the zombie they'd left behind. Years ago, understanding seemingly eluded the moron through the rivalry he tried to inspire between him and William. They'd always worked together…at least, until now.

"Should I ask?" Tanis asked. She crossed the library and directly to the computer that loomed on a desk at the far end of the room. The sound of her meddling with the power button of an unresponsive central processing unit.

"I recognize the name." Albert flipped the card in his hand, seeing the brown magnetic strip that stretched across the back.

"He worked here several years ago…one of the executives here. I'm sure we crossed paths at some point."

'Some point' was loosely in reference to his gunning Rowland down to reach Marcus last time he came here. Tanis did respond better to vague honesty, after all.

Tanis looked up from her attempt to power on an unresponsive computer. She looked surprised by the discovery as her gaze locked with the ID card.

"Perhaps the vagrant found this discarded somewhere. Considering this formerly belonged to an assistant director, we've gained ourselves access to the lower levels."

"And if we run into someone else?"

Once more, like the failed spark of a lighter, Albert spotted the briefest glimpse of…anxiety? Of course, he'd had the same thought. The possibility of other zombies wandering the halls loomed over the three of them. Neutralizing them was a simple enough task but doing so in Tanis' presence was what complicated matters. To Tanis they were victims, possibly even filthy, mindless individuals in the wrong place—and she'd neutralized one entirely on accident. How was it that these trivial concerns made Tanis seem charming? Any Umbrella employees he'd witnessed reacting in such a way were usually met with dismissal, lethal or otherwise.

Albert passed the edge of the desk and proceeded to pull open the door to the staff wing of the library.

"Why bother asking?" Ada tucked her arms across her chest and leaned back against the desk behind her. "A bullet to the brain seems to be your default."

"Yes. A quick action which may have saved your hide. Would you not agree, Miss Wong?" The temptation to respond physically occurred to Albert but he resisted the urge.

Ada swiveled her head and flashed him a knowing smirk. It took her pinstripe brows rising for Albert to perceive what irritating discovery she thought she'd uncovered. Albert scoffed and pushed the door open further. The deception of his and Tanis' affair only worked to his advantage. Though he couldn't deny the irritation that came with Alex being at fault for the ridiculous rumor. He groped for the light switch next to the doorway and blinked several times when the light flicked on in the pitch-dark room.

The staff wing of the library was in enough disarray to make Albert almost bite his tongue. Books lay scattered about the long rectangular room in piles at the foot of bookshelves that lined every wall. The wood table in the center of the room stretched almost as long as the Turkish rug beneath it, piled with more of the chaos of dusted books, discarded papers and abandoned journals that remained flipped open. The only books that seemed to remain in order were the ones on the shelves that lined the opposing wall that stood on an elevated platform.

"Have a seat Miss Wong," Albert ordered as he stepped into the room and jerked a chair aside. "I trust you'll be so kind as to wait while we locate my property."

Despite her posturing, Albert could tell his looming over Ada as she reluctantly took a seat made her tense.

"So, I'd assume Special Collections," Tanis offered aloud as she walked the length of the room towards the bookshelf furthest from them. She didn't wait for either of them to respond before she took hold of one of the shelves and lowered herself in front of a pile of books on the floor.

Setting straight to work as she did benefited Albert immensely as he came to stand behind Ada. He placed his hands on either corner of the top rail and leaned to speak softly in her ear.

"Color me impressed. I would never have expected today to lead me to a souvenir of my long deceased father."  
Ada twisted her ear towards him slightly, unintimidated and watchful of Tanis as he spoke.

"Personally of course, I could care less. But…if his son doesn't care about his writings, what could make someone else care in his place? What could he have written down that makes Spencer's irritating daughter care enough to burn it?"

"What's the matter?" Ada shot back, meeting his eyes. "Nazi sympathy a private family hobby?"

"No answer then," Albert resolved. Wonderful. Or should he say wundabar? The response surprised him, considering he half expected Ada to flaunt what she knew something he didn't, but this didn't seem to be the case. It was possible Alex hadn't bothered to tell her why. Burning data ordinarily didn't require an explanation when it equated to being paid. What mattered right now was he would have the logbook, and Alex wouldn't. Better to keep to those facts once they were proven accurate. Albert straightened and returned his attention to Tanis, seeing she'd moved onto the upper shelves to her left. Following the instructions Alex left to Ada, Tanis didn't bother with most of the books unless they were bound in black leather. Most of the ones she grabbed she quickly shoved away. Albert lifted his hands from the top rail of Ada's seat and stepped around her. He had little intention of lingering in this room any longer than they needed to. At the very least, he could open the security booth while Tanis searched for what presumably wasn't here in the first place.

"Unfortunately for you, you'll have to return empty-handed to your employer," Albert said, louder so Tanis could hear. He stepped up to the third bookcase from the door and located the slightly faded green book from memory and pulled it. "But wasn't your fault now was it Miss Wong? Because said logbook was never here. Was it?"  
Dust sprinkled from the shelves of the bookcase as the false book pulled from its place and the shelf lowered through the floor. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Tanis watching the bookcase sink into the ground. As soon as it settled into place, she frowned. The discouraged look on her face communicated the question that had undoubtedly entered her mind. What if the logbook had been on one of those shelves?

"Are you sure you want to play that game? She is Spencer's daughter after all." Ada folded her legs and reclined in her seat; her smirk stretched.

"And you wear too much red for your complexion. Shall we continue telling each other things we already know?" Albert ran his fingers through his hair to simmer. He had not just indicated that he was fully aware that Alex was her employer? He wasn't ignorant to her resources, more than enough to hire Ada, but did this woman take him for a weakling who'd pull back now, after everything that had transpired? "She has resources, enough to hire a semi-decent spy such as you. But her family name can only get her so much."

The younger spy tilted her head at him. Her brows pulled together as she opened her mouth to respond.  
"I'm sure she does," Tanis said instead, "You failed to fulfill your orders, though."

Albert smirked before he could even withdraw his gaze off Ada. Perhaps it was due to the way Tanis' announcement wiped the smirk off of Ada's face. Or maybe he preferred to revel in the fact that in this game of theirs, Ada was definitely losing.  
The moment of triumph was short lived as soon as Albert shifted his gaze on Tanis. A sudden jolt of concern tore through him as he watched Tanis flip open the cover rather than handing it over to him. His mind raced through half a dozen possibilities in the few steps it would take to reach Tanis. As soon as he began lifting his foot, he remembered her revolver in his pocket. His eyes went to the Broom HC she placed on the third shelf from the bottom. He'd have to be faster than her reach. Albert turned his ear slightly to the door to the staff room that loomed behind him. Tanis' eyes met his and his hand twitching. Surprisingly, she looked as perplexed as he was pretending to be.

"What?"

"It's entirely in code." Tanis closed the cover again and crossed the room.

"That so?" Albert watched as Tanis's roamed to the security booth as she handed him the logbook. He regarded the oval shaped emblem with a sword and the words "Ahnenerb" and "Deutsches" written in the border of the emblem before he flipped the cover open. One look at the top page was enough to prove Tanis right.

24\. Nbj 1942

Ejf Uftuqfstpofo ibcfo tjdi bmmf bmt ovuampt fsxjftfo, xfoo ft vn ejf Cjoevoh bo ebt Qsphfojups-Wjsvt hfiu. Jdi cjo kfepdi pqujnjtujtdi, xbt ejf oädituf Dibshf cfusjggu, ejf jn Avh bolpnnfo xjse. Xbt jdi güs fjofo ücfsmfhfofo Xpimuäufs ojdiu hfcfo xüsef, efs nfjofo Uftuqppm ojdiu fjotdisäoluf, bcfs ebt jtu fjo Xvotdi güs fjofo xfjufsfo Ubh. Ifvuf nvtt jdi efn Sfhjnf cfxfjtfo, ebtt jdi nfjofs Qptjujpo xüsejh cjo. Jdi lboo voe xfsef ojdiu evsdi ejftf wpo Bsjbofso cftfttfofo Evnnlöqgf fstfuau xfsefo.

"Well, that's disappointing," Ada theatrically sighed.

The sound of Ada's voice barely registered in Albert's mind as he flipped through the pages one by one. Coded jumbles of words, fetus sketches, chemical formulas…these things were not all that surprising based on what little Spencer had informed him of Hildebrant. Even so, what did this all mean? It didn't appear to be connected to the research he and William acquired from Doctor Marcus. This was something else, but nothing he could expect to decipher at the moment. He closed the logbook again and squeezed a little at the cover. The amount of pages between covers almost matched the size of his wrist. There was plenty of it to work on. It was his now, as far as he was concerned and that counted for plenty.

"Coding's in my skillset," Tanis offered with a shrug of her shoulder, "Considering your father's…occupation. It shouldn't be difficult to identify what coding method he used."

That was not an option. Though Albert nodded in pretense towards her as if the idea offered merit. The unfortunate truth was he was at a loss on how to tackle this predicament. Spencer seemed to have trusted Hildebrant enough to value the man. Considering Spencer's Umbrella was in the bioweapon producing business, it was a safe bet this logbook's contents offered the base work on what eventually became Umbrella's illegal enterprise. Tanis deciphering these pages would open a whole floodgate into the T-Virus…his work. Disposing of Tanis would come before his even considering undertaking that risk.  
"Be that as it may, we nevertheless have other concerns to deal with first. Like what brought us here in the first place." As Albert spoke, he reached for the strap of Tanis' pack. Her eyes followed his gloved hand until realization swept across her face and she turned her back to him. Her titian curls brushed against his glove as she reached back a hand and pulled her hair free of her back. He pulled the zipper along its path and slipped the logbook inside.

"I trust you'll hold onto this until we depart?" Albert conceded it amazed and frustrated him that this rather simple scheme he'd concocted based on reasonable doubt regarding Spencer's motives kept unfolding into more and more. Now there were so many players on the board. Alex, Tanis, Ada, William…

William.

The mere mention of William's mind suddenly clicked the pieces all into place. Or rather, what he should do with these pieces. Out of everyone involved in this situation, William was the only one he could trust. He would know what to do, not to mention William would need to know what Alex was after here. It just wouldn't be Ada delivering such news.

"What about her?" Tanis asked so only he could hear as soon as Albert closed her pack. She looked over her shoulder at him, brow quirked expectantly.

"Yes, what about me?" Ada challenged, tilting her head as she stood upright.

Albert couldn't help the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he reached into the pocket of his coat threateningly. He kept his voice low so only Tanis could hear. "I believe Miss Wong will be assisting us in locating a mermaid."


End file.
